


Ride or Die

by LarasLandlockedBlues



Series: Stress Relief [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Biotic Shepard, Established Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Lover Reunion, Mass Effect 3, No Shepard without Vakarian, POV Shepard (Mass Effect), Paragade (Mass Effect), Past Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Reunion Sex, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-02 20:14:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12733539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarasLandlockedBlues/pseuds/LarasLandlockedBlues
Summary: It had been one hundred and eighty-four days when they finally sent for her.Commander Fiona Shepard had spent six months relieved of duty, essentially on house arrest.She had spent her time distracting herself, preparing herself, and resisting the urge to write to *him* for a prison break.But now the Reapers have arrived, and all she can think about is getting back to him, and keeping the promise she made.Companion piece and sequel to Goose Bumps, covering the events of ME3 with an eventual happy ending. Garrus Vakarian and Fem!Shepard romance, glossing over most canon and focusing on their relationship as they try to save the galaxy one last time.All rights, again, obviously belong to Bioware.





	1. Palaven Burning

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled a bit with getting this cut down to post, because what I originally had written begins with too much straight canon as Shepard tries to get off Earth. I was trying to figure out what was best to leave in, what needed to be said, and then I realized that at this point, if you're reading ME fanfic, you're probably well aware of canon. So let's just skip it, eh?
> 
> Picks up at the journey to Menae, with some canon (with a few twists) to get us back into it.
> 
> xx,  
> L

            She was running through a forest, everything grey and misty around her, the trees rising like stark, macabre sculptures. A young boy was crouched before her, playing. She ran as though held back by some unseen force, struggling to surge forward, trying desperately to reach him but not sure why she needed to so badly. As she finally approached him, the huge roar of the Reaper’s beam sounded, and he covered his ears, looking around wildly. The boy began to run off, and she chased him, she had to keep him safe, she had to stop him running. She finally caught up to him, but when he turned to face her, she saw his face twisted in fear and she saw flames begin at his feet, and then they consumed him, and he was screaming…

            Shepard sat up straight in bed, panting heavily. She took a moment to adjust to the darkness of her cabin, and then buried her face in her hands. She took calming breaths, and then threw back the sheets and scooted to the edge of the bed. A glass of water sat on her nightstand, and she picked it up and drained it in one gulp. She set the glass back down and stared at her feet, still trying to clear her mind. The dog tags she wore around her neck slid from beneath the neckline of her tank top so that they were hanging in her line of sight. She reached a hand up and clutched the tags tightly, her thumb lightly tracing where she knew was etched the name of the one she’d been thinking about more than any other since leaving Earth.

            Shepard heaved another sigh and stood. She picked her casual uniform up from where it lay at the foot of her bed and put it on, looking to her bedside clock as she did so. Only thirty minutes to their destination…

            She fixed her hair into a tight bun before she walked briskly out to the hall, intending to see to her armor and weapons in preparation. As she approached, the elevator door opened and Liara exited.

            “Oh, Shepard, I was just coming to see you. I have been forwarding more information to the Turian councilor, but he won’t budge until their Primarch is safe,” she said, but as she looked over the Commander, her brows furrowed.

            “I know,” Shepard sighed.

            “Shepard, are you okay? You don’t look well.”

            “I didn’t exactly get a good night’s sleep,” Shepard muttered, rubbing her eyes.

            “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there,” Liara observed. “What’s really bothering you?”

            “Everyone back on Earth, everyone I had to leave behind…” Shepard thought of Anderson, and her dream came back into her mind as well. “And now, I hear that Palaven is burning -” her throat constricted and she looked away from Liara, her hand reaching up to clutch her dog tags again.

            “You’re worried about Garrus, aren’t you?” Liara concluded for her. Shepard nodded, finally looking back into the Asari’s eyes. “Shepard, you’re doing everything you can. And I know you, you’re not going to stop until you win or…” She shook her head, unable to finish. “And I also know Garrus. I’m sure he’s fine.”

            “Shepard, Admiral Hackett is on the line in the comms room for you,” EDI interrupted. Shepard sighed.

            “Tell him I’ll be right there, EDI.” She reached a hand up and grasped Liara’s shoulder in gratitude, and then they headed down on the elevator together, Liara getting off to head back to her office and Shepard continuing to the CIC and the comm. room.

            “Commander, Udina has updated me on your meeting with the Council,” Hackett said when he saw her enter the room. “Sounds like they’re running scared.”

            “We did present them with a lot of unknowns. They’re feeling threatened and want immediate solutions, not theories,” Shepard conceded.

            “Theories are all we’ve got right now. What’s your plan?”

            “I’m about to land on Menae. I plan to rescue The Turian Primarch; he called for a war summit with the Salarians and Asari to discuss their strategy. I’ll bypass the Council and get their species’ leadership on board so that we can get the resources we need.”

            “Excellent thinking, Commander,” Hackett commended her.

            “Unfortunately we don’t have a whole lot to back it up right now,” Shepard sighed.

            “Build alliances, gather everything, everybody you can for the cause.”

            “What about the device?’

            “Find me people who can help build it,” Hackett ordered her. “And if you can’t, I’ll take ships, soldiers, supplies…whatever you can get. We need to keep hitting the Reapers across every theatre of war they open in order to buy us time to figure out the device.”

            “And when it’s finished?”

            “Assuming it ever is, then we’ll strike. Consider it one big armada to deliver the device when the Reapers are most vulnerable. The stronger that armada, the better the chances, Shepard,” Hackett said.

            “You can count on it, sir.”

            “Not just me, everyone. Including Anderson and everyone fighting back on Earth. They need us to get all the help we can so that we can take this fight to the Reapers.”

            “Yes, sir.”

            “I’ll be expecting regular updates,” Hackett said, turning to exit the comms. “Hackett out.”

 

* * *

 

            The shuttle lowered to Menae, and Shepard could see the presence of husks and the hulking Reaper soldiers she had fought with Anderson on Earth swarming on the ground as far as she could see.

            “Commander!” her new shuttle pilot, Cortez, shouted at her. “The LZ isn’t clear, I can’t land.”

            Shepard straightened her helmet and pulled her gun out before opening the door to the shuttle. “Get ready to go in hot! We’ll clear it as much as we can,” she told him and began firing at every husk and hulk that she could. Beside her Liara and James did the same. They cleared as much of the LZ as they could, and Cortez got low enough that they could safely jump out.

            The three of them jumped, and Shepard landed with a biotic force that sent the surrounding husks flying. She stood quickly and picked off the husks that still moved, and James and Liara took down another Reaper soldier that came at them. “This way!” Shepard yelled, and they ran for the command post ahead of them, fighting off Reaper soldiers as they did.

            “Friendlies! Don’t fire!” she heard a Turian soldier yell at their approach. The gate to the command post lowered and the three of them raced across it, Liara throwing one last bit of biotics behind her to prevent the husks from following them inside. They halted inside the gate, all panting to catch their breath.

            “Where is your commander?” Shepard panted at a nearby Turian, and he pointed to one of the buildings not far from them. “Thanks,” she murmured as she stood up straight again and headed in the direction he had indicated.

            As they got closer, she heard the Turian general barking orders across the comms, several scouts standing near him hoping to deliver reports.

            “Sir,” Shepard said, stopping next to him and removing her helmet, waiting to continue until she had his attention.

            After a moment spent poring over the report he held in his hand, he finally raised his head to look at her. “Commander Shepard,” he greeted her. “I was informed you were coming, although I didn’t quite believe it.”

            “General,” she nodded. “I’ve come to evacuate Primarch Fedorian, we need him for a war summit with the other - ”

            He shook his head and sighed. “Primarch Fedorian is dead,” he informed her gravely. “His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as he tried to leave Menae.”

            Shepard clenched her eyes shut for a moment and pressed her lips together in frustration. Damn it, she thought bitterly. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “But this is important. Who’s the next in line for succession?”

            “Normally, succession would be simple,” the general answered her. “But right now, we’re in disarray. Our comms were down and we only just got them back up. Too many are missing or dead.” He sighed. “It will take me time to figure it out.”

            “Please, General, do what you can, and please hurry,” Shepard pleaded. She heard shouts to her left and turned to see a Turian scout running their way.

            “They’re at the main barricade!” he shouted at the general as he approached.

            “Damn it!” the general cried. “If we lose that barricade, we lose this post,” he turned to face Shepard, and she nodded and began to put her helmet back on.

            “Find me the next primarch, General. We’ll go reinforce the barricade,” she said and she led Liara and James in the direction the scout had come running from.

            The battle to hold the barricade had been intense, but the Turian soldiers were strong. Bolstered by the biotic expertise of Shepard and Liara and the heavy fire that James enthusiastically unleashed on their opponents, they were able to hold the barrier and fight off the waves of attacking Reaper forces. Shepard stood for a few moments longer in front of the barricade, a pile of husks surrounding her. She took in a deep breath, trying her best to avoid the sight of Palaven burning in the skyline, and she turned back to her team. “Let’s go see if we have a new Primarch,” she muttered, and turned back toward the command post.

            The general was still bent over the comms when they returned. “What have you got?” Shepard asked, removing her helmet again as she stopped beside him.

            “It’s not as simple as it should be, right now,” the general began.

            “I need someone – it doesn’t matter who, as long as they can get us the Turian resources we need,” Shepard interrupted curtly.

            “I’m on it, Shepard,” a new, incredibly familiar voice replied. Shepard felt her skin prickle, her heart race when she heard it. “We’ll find you the primarch.”

            A tall Turian form was swaggering up the stairs, and he turned to stop just behind the general. Shepard’s breath caught in her throat; Garrus stood before her, wearing a new, shiny set of armor, and holding his trusty rifle in his hands. He was smiling at her.

            “Garrus!” she finally said, her voice cracking a little as she fought to hold back the emotion and relief that flooded her upon seeing his face.

            “Vakarian, sir, I didn’t see you arrive,” the general remarked, and he sprang into a salute. Shepard raised her eyebrows, intrigued by this response.

            “At ease, General,” Garrus said to him. He turned back to Shepard as she took a few steps closer to him.

            “You’re alive,” she said softly, staring up into his eyes. She reached a hand out to him, trying to keep herself under control considering their environment. He stared at her hand for a moment, and then took it into his hand and laid his other on top of it, squeezing gently. She returned the pressure, her thumb quickly stroking his hand to convey her pleasure at the contact.

            “I’m hard to kill – you should know that,” he drawled. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

            “It’s good to see you again,” she said, slightly more breathlessly as she meant to, and she pulled her hand from his and took a step back. “I thought you’d be on Palaven.”

            He shook his head slightly. “If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I’m the closest damn thing we have to a Reaper expert, so I’m…advising.”

            Vega stepped forward from his place behind her. “James, this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped me stop the Collectors. He’s a hell of a soldier,” she made the introductions. James stepped forward and shook Garrus’ hand.

            “Lieutenant,” Garrus said in acknowledgement. He looked behind Shepard to the Asari standing behind her. “Good to see you too, Liara.”

            Liara stepped forward eagerly and shook his hand. “It’s good to see you in one piece, Garrus,” she told him, and Shepard saw the Asari’s eyes flit in her direction.

            “General Corinthus filled me in,” Garrus told Shepard as he returned his attention to her. “We know who we’re after.”

            General Corinthus looked over his shoulder at the group behind him. “Palaven Command informs me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus.”

            “Victus?” Liara repeated. “His name’s crossed my desk.”

            “Do you know him, Garrus?” Shepard asked.

            “I was fighting alongside him this morning,” Garrus replied easily. “Lifelong military. Gets results, popular with his troops. Not so popular with military command – has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy.”

            Shepard gave a sideways smile; she understood why Garrus admired the man. “You think he can get the job done?”

            “We both know conventional strategy won’t beat the Reapers,” Garrus told her. “Right now he could be our best shot. And I trust him.”

            Shepard nodded. That was good enough for her. “Okay. Let’s get him on the shuttle and get out of here.”

            _“Commander! Shepard come in!”_ Joker’s voice rang out suddenly on the comms.

            “Can this wait Joker? We’re in the middle of a war zone,” she responded.

            _“We’ve got a situation on the Normandy, Commander. It’s like she’s possessed – shutting down systems, powering up weapons…I can’t find the source.”_

“I need the Normandy standing by. We may have to bug out,” Shepard told her team.

            “Should I go back and take a look?” Liara offered.

            “Do it.”

            Liara nodded and ran off, back in the direction of the ship.

            “Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?” Shepard asked him as they began to descend from Corinthus’ post.

            “Yeah, but we got separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking,” Garrus answered. “Could be anywhere out there.”

            “We’re trying to raise him, Commander,” Corinthus interjected.

            “Big one, right above us!” Vega cried out suddenly, and they looked up to see a large Reaper that looked like a cybernetic dragon flying toward them. It swooped down low over the command post, roaring eerily as it did so. Shepard felt the wind knocked out of her as Garrus lunged and threw her on the ground, covering her tiny frame with his body. Vega was crouching behind cover next to them, watching the path of the large Reaper as it passed overhead, the Lieutenant’s gun held at the ready. Garrus was looking over his shoulder too, and made sure the coast was clear before he got to his feet and easily lifted Shepard to hers. She looked up at him and saw him searching her face with concern. Silently she nodded at him, assuring him that she was fine. Vega stood up from cover and walked over, frowning at the pair of them.

            Shepard ignored him and turned to watch the monstrous enemy as it descended not far from them, attacking a nearby position. She looked back to General Corinthus. “General, tell Primarch Victus that we’ll rendezvous here.” She turned to Garrus and Vega and checked her gun as she said, “In the meantime, let’s go take care of whatever that thing was. Coming, Garrus?”

            He readied his rifle and smiled. “Are you kidding? I’m right behind you.”

 

* * *

 

            _“Shepard? Corinthus here,”_ she heard the voice of the Turian general crackle over the comms. They were standing in the midst of another pile of husk and Reaper bodies. The monster that had flown over them had been dropping off wave after wave of enemy, and they had had a hard time fighting them off to help defend the Turian forces. Beside her Vega was breathing heavily, and Garrus was inspecting his gun, checking for damage after a husk had grabbed it.

            “What’s the word on the Primarch?” Shepard asked over the comms.

            _“Still can’t get a stable comm. link.”_

            Shepard sighed, “Okay. I’m going on foot. Shepard out,” she told him, then turned to Garrus. “Garrus, take me to the last place you saw Victus.”

            “Right away,” Garrus said, and he turned and began to lead them down a nearby path, his legs so long that Shepard had to half-jog to keep up with him.

            As they continued down the path, Palaven became more pronounced on the horizon, and Garrus stopped to look at it. Shepard halted beside him, looking at the burning planet and then up at Garrus; he was shaking his head in disbelief. “Look at it, Shepard…” he whispered.

            “It was the same on Earth,” Shepard said softly.

            “Do you see that big spot, the place with the biggest fires?” he pointed, and she nodded. “That’s where I’m from.”

            She reached a hand out to his arm and lightly rested it there, her other on her chest where the dog tags were, unconsciously wanting to hold them for comfort as she had for the last six months. She raised her head and saw him staring at her, watching the action of her hand on her chest. “I wish they’d listened to you, Shepard,” he muttered. And then he turned to face the path again and continued on his way, Shepard and Vega struggling to keep up with his pace.

            They passed some wounded soldiers, and Garrus stopped to ask if they had seen Victus. The two soldiers pointed in the direction of a distant command post, and Shepard paused to apply medi-gel to the worst of their wounds, hoping to help them reach safety, before her team continued on their way.

            As they came upon the post, they could hear the sound of battle. “We have to get in there,” Shepard commanded, and the three of them raced across the collapsed barrier and joined the fight.

            The Turians were putting up the fight of their lives, and the Reaper forces were swarming all over the post. Shepard hurled biotics at groups of foes, trying to coordinate her strikes against the armored beasts before her with Garrus’ well-timed concussive rounds, which tore through the armor and weakened them. A huge Reaper behemoth suddenly charged her, and she threw a barrier around herself just in time. The behemoth took a swing at her; his arm bounced off of the biotic dome, but the force of the impact against her barrier knocked her into the air, and she landed hard against a nearby rock before rolling onto the ground, temporarily stunned.

            “Lieutenant, now!” Garrus yelled from her right, and the two of them coordinated their strikes to try to draw the monster off of her. They managed to get its attention, and Shepard rolled to her left to get into cover behind the rock she had hit. From one of the post’s buildings above her, she heard the commanding voice of a Turian giving orders and rallying men. He was confidently directing them to attack the behemoth, and soon the beast was brought down under the onslaught of everyone in the area attacking it. Shepard threw a biotic sphere at a group of husks that were charging now that there were no obstacles in their way as everyone focused on the behemoth. She managed to send the husks flying into the nearby rocks and high into the sky just as they were about to attack a group of Turian soldiers from behind.

            The battle continued like this for several more minutes. Finally the second behemoth that had appeared was felled, and the husks had stopped their unnatural wailing, all defeated. Shepard crouched behind cover, taking a few steadying breaths, her ribs and back aching from how hard she had been slammed into the rock. She placed her hand over her ribs and flinched, still trying to calm her breath. She saw two armored Turian feet step before her, and a three-fingered hand lowered down to her. She accepted it and felt herself pulled up into a standing position. The sudden movement made her cry out and she wobbled as pain temporarily blinded her.

            “Shepard -” an anxious face was pressed down near hers, large fingers trying to pry her arms away from her ribs to inspect the damage. Her breath was coming in short gasps, each one causing pain to shoot through her chest.

            “I think some ribs are broken,” she gritted out, her eyes shut tight as she tried to control her breath and the pain that came with it.

            “Commander, you okay?” came the worried voice of her lieutenant from her left.

            She bit her lip and nodded, tentatively opening her eyes to look around her. “Yeah, just…give me a second,” she muttered. “I’ll be fine.” Garrus was holding onto her shoulders, and she looked up into his face. He was staring at her with fear evident in his eyes. She grimaced at him and pushed gingerly away from his hands, which were trying to hold her stable. She swayed for a half-second, and then managed to plant her feet and catch her balance. Shepard released a sigh, and scowled at the pain it caused. “Come on, let’s find Victus,” she finally ground out, her teeth clenched.

            The Commander turned from the two who stood over her and began walking laboriously toward the main post building, which was nearby. She had realized this was the building from which the commanding voice had been issuing, and she was beginning to think she had a good idea who it belonged to.

            “General Victus?” she called as she approached, impressed that her voice sounded firm and not shaky, and saw a Turian in red and black armor walk down the steps toward her.

            “Yes,” the Turian answered her. He looked her over, waiting.

            “I’m Commander Shepard of the Normandy,” she introduced herself.

            “Ah, Commander, I know who you are,” he looked over her shoulder at Garrus, and she saw a look of understanding pass between them. Victus holstered his gun. “I can’t wait to find out what brings you here.” He stood with his hands behind his back and continued to look at Garrus. “Vakarian – where did you go?”

            Garrus chuckled. “Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank. I believe your exact words were ‘get that thing the hell off my men,’” he replied easily. She noticed him giving her a sideways glance, still worried, and she found herself wishing he wouldn’t.

            “Appreciate it,” Victus grunted at Garrus. He returned his attention to Shepard. She felt herself sway a bit, pain shooting through her again.

            “General,” she said, resolutely taking a step toward him, “you’re needed off-planet. I’ve come to get you.”

            “It will take something beyond imagining for me to leave my men, or my Turian brothers or sisters, in their fight.”

            Garrus stepped forward. “Fedorian was killed,” he informed Victus. “You’re the new Primarch.”

            “You’re needed immediately to chair a war summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers,” Shepard continued.

            Victus stared at them both for a moment, and then pushed gently past Shepard to look out at Palaven. She flinched at the contact, but then turned to look out at the burning planet with him. He continued his silence for several long moments, trying to absorb what they had told him. “I am primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the Turian hierarchy?”

            “Yes,” she answered him. She briefly touched her arm to her ribs again; she needed this to hurry up, the pain was beginning to feel worse. Garrus was still shooting her sidelong glances of concern.

            Victus turned to face her once more. “I’ve spent my whole life in the military. I’m no diplomat – I hate diplomats.”

            “War is your resume,” Shepard answered him. “At a time like this, we need leaders who have been through that hell.”

            “I like that. You’re right,” Victus nodded in agreement.

            Shepard readjusted her stance, trying to get more comfortable. “And honestly,” she said through gritted teeth as she looked up at him, “uniting these races may take as much strength as facing the Reapers. See this devastation?” she gestured at Palaven, then winced at the motion. “Double that for Earth. I need an alliance. I need the Turian fleet.”

            Victus took a few steps toward her, staring intently into her face. Then he gave a curt nod. “Give me a moment to say goodbye to my men.”

            Shepard returned the nod, and as he turned away she put her arm back over her ribs, trying again to take deep breaths against the pain, but that only made it worse. Garrus came to stand beside her, still frowning deeply at her winces. “You realize without him down here, there’s a good chance we lose this moon,” he pointed out.

            She looked at him, her vision beginning to blur a little. She blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. “You realize without him up there, there’s a good chance we lose everything,” she replied.

            Garrus nodded sadly, then looked up at the nearest Reaper in the sky above them. “Look at that thing! And they want my opinion on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante…and I’m their expert advisor?” He sighed. “Think you can win this thing, Shepard?” he asked.

            Shepard grimaced at him. “Yeah, I don’t know, Garrus. But I’m sure as hell going to give it my best shot,” she replied.

            “I’m damn sure nobody else can do it,” he commented. “For whatever it’s worth, I’m with you.” He turned to look down at her, and what was a smile turned into a deep frown. “Shepard, are you all right?”

            “Yeah, Commander, you’re turning white,” Vega chimed in, moving to stand closer to the pair of them.

            “I’m fine,” she gritted out again as Victus walked back over to join the three of them. “Are you ready, Primarch Victus?”

            “One thing, Commander,” he answered. “I appreciate your need for our fleets, but I can’t spare them. Not while my world is burning.”

            Shepard scowled at him, her arm still clutched over her ribs. “What do you suggest?” her tone was harsher than she meant as she growled out the question through the searing pain shooting through her like lightning.

            “If the pressure were taken off Palaven -” the Primarch began.

            Shepard gave a short laugh that quickly turned into another sharp grimace. “That’s a tall order.”

            “We need the Krogan,” Victus responded resolutely. “I can’t see us winning this thing without them. Get them to help us, and then we can help you.”

            Shepard raised her eyebrows as high as they would go. “The Krogan?”

            “Looks like your summit just got a lot more interesting,” Garrus commented blithely. Shepard looked up at him and chuckled, and then the world began to spin and she swayed on the spot. She saw Garrus’ laugh disappear and he reached out to grab her as she fell, pulling her into his strong arms as her knees giving out as everything went black…


	2. The Protocol on Reunions

            Shepard’s eyes began to flutter open, and she immediately shut them tightly once more; all she could see when she opened her eyes was a bright light right above her. She squinted and began to open them more slowly, giving herself time to adjust to the light above her after the blackness from which she had just awoken. Her brows came down in a frown as she kept her eyes squinted, and then she turned her head to the side to try to determine where she was.

            As soon as she turned her head, she heard movement from her other side and looked to see Garrus straightening up and leaning over her. “Fiona?” he queried softly, concern etched all over his face.

            “Ah, good, Commander, you’re awake,” she heard the voice of Dr. Chakwas come from behind Garrus. The doctor came into view and leaned over her as well. “How are you feeling, Shepard?”

            Shepard took a deep breath and felt only a small throb of pain in her chest as she did so. She began to try to push herself into a sitting position; Garrus’ hands came to her shoulders immediately and he gently pushed her back onto the bed. She gave him a small glare and he chuckled, shrugging. “Sorry, doctor’s orders,” he told her.

            “Damn straight, too,” Chakwas agreed, and she began to test Shepard’s vitals.

            “What happened?” Shepard asked, gingerly raising a hand to her forehead to block the light from her vision.

            “You broke several ribs, which punctured a lung, and you have hairline fractures on several vertebrae in your spine,” Dr. Chakwas informed her.

            Shepard lazily peeked out at her from under her fingers. “Oh is that all?” she asked lightly. “That’s not so bad then.”

            Garrus shook his head at her and looked over at Chakwas, who was smirking. “I’ve gotten you patched up, Commander, and you’re on the mend. You just need rest for the next twelve hours. Your cybernetics are helping the healing process, so you’ll heal much faster than someone with your injuries normally would,” the doctor looked at her very seriously as she said this. “Although you’re lucky you didn’t damage your spine worse than you did - it could have caused permanent damage.”

            Shepard sighed. She wanted to sit up, but knew that if she did Garrus would just push her down again. “Do I have to stay in the med bay?” she finally asked.

            “Yes, Commander, you do,” Chakwas stated resolutely. “You should avoid movement as much as you can for the next twelve hours. And you should thank dear Garrus here; if he hadn’t caught you when you fell, you’d be in far worse shape than you currently are.”

            The Commander turned her gaze on the Turian beside her and gave him a warm smile. He reached out a hand and squeezed hers between his large fingers.

            “Speaking of, Garrus, might I have a word for a moment?” the doctor requested, and Garrus stood and moved to stand a short distance away, whispering with the doctor in hushed tones. The only words Shepard could make out were “she” and “her” and she realized they were talking about her. Feeling a bit rebellious, Shepard inched herself up the bed a little to get herself into a more comfortable position. Her movement caught their attention though, and Garrus was quickly back at her side, pressing her shoulders onto the pillows.

            “Shepard, please, let me adjust you if you need it,” he implored her, and she pouted as he propped the bed up and cautiously scooted her onto the pillows in a half-reclining position. He looked down at her and gave a reassuring smile, then leaned his forehead against hers. He pulled away quickly and suddenly frowned. He sat beside her and took her hand in his; behind him Dr. Chakwas quietly excused herself from the med bay.

            “So,” he began, and then hesitated. “Is this the part where we…shake hands? Wasn’t sure about the protocol on reunions, or if we’re still…” He paused here, looking lost before he said, “The scars are starting to fade, I remember they drove you wild…But I can go out and get some new ones if it will help.” He was speaking quickly, nervously trying to tell jokes to deflect, awkward once more. He looked at her apprehensively and she frowned in response.

            “I don’t understand, Garrus,” she murmured.

            “Well, the handshake, on Palaven…I’ve been doing more research on human customs, and I didn’t want to presume anything. Six months apart without word was a long time, I didn’t know if you’d changed your mind about us. I just wondered -” he broke off as he saw her start to laugh.

            “I can’t move, so come here,” she motioned with a finger for him to lean over her. She pressed her lips firmly against his scarred mandible, and felt it flex in excitement under her lips. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “That’s the protocol on reunions,” she told him.

            “The vids mentioned it might go something like that,” he smiled at her. “I had hoped…I mean, I didn’t -”

            “Garrus, what on earth could make you think I wasn’t still…that we weren’t – wasn’t that decided already?” she reached a hand to her neck and pulled the chain of her necklace until the dog tags were revealed. His eyes softened as he looked at them. “I haven’t taken them off since you left, and,” she tilted her neck so that he could see where he had bitten her. “It’s faded, but you can still see it.”

            He chuckled and covered the hand that held her dog tags with his. “I was hoping you’d like my present. It seemed such a silly gesture, but…”

            Shepard smiled reassuringly at him. “It was perfect, Garrus,” she murmured. “Now lean down and kiss me before I reach up to kiss you and get us both in trouble with Doctor Chakwas.”

            Garrus’ mandibles flexed and he leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. Then he lowered his mouth and pressed it firmly against hers before his tongue reached out and began to search for hers. After six months of being apart, Shepard felt like she was in paradise as she slid her tongue against his, her heart racing as she re-familiarized herself with his taste, his rough skin. He was still alive; he was alive and beside her once more, his hands resting on the mattress on either side as he leaned over her -

            “Garrus! What did I just tell you?” came the scolding voice of Dr. Chakwas behind them. Garrus broke away from the kiss and spun around guiltily to face her.

            “I apologize, Doctor, but she can be incredibly convincing,” he admitted, his voice dripping with humor.

            “Commander, you need rest, not to make your injuries worse through overexertion,” Chakwas turned her scolding to Shepard where she lay. “You can wait a day for that, if you want to be able to continue it at all.”

            “A day?” Garrus interjected, surprised. “Doctor, you said twelve hours.”

            “She needs bed rest for twelve hours – and no, not that kind of bed rest,” the doctor chuckled a little. “But she needs to not overexert herself for twenty-four hours. And I can tell just by looking at you two that it would definitely fall into the category of extreme overexertion.”

            Shepard bit her lip to stifle her giggling, and Garrus sank back into the chair beside the bed, his hand reaching out to take hers as he stared sulkily at the doctor.

            “Much better,” Doctor Chakwas said, and then she turned to busy herself at her terminal.

            Garrus turned back to look at Shepard, and frowned when he saw her reach her other hand up to her hair. It was still pinned into the knot she had twisted it into for their mission on Menae, and it was uncomfortable against the pillow. She slowly began to remove the pins and laid them on the table next to her. Her tresses finally released, she smoothed her hair until it lay over one shoulder. Garrus’ mandibles flexed and he reached his other hand out to run through the silky strands, gently tugging at any knots he found. “Your hair is longer,” he murmured, sounding enthralled, a low hum in his sub harmonics as he explored her dark red tresses.

            She giggled. “I didn’t have to follow dress code for six months,” she replied. He was still running his fingers though her hair, untangling it as he went. She laid still, enjoying his gentle grooming as she watched his face. “Garrus,” she said softly, and he looked down at her. “I didn’t mean to make you wonder or question us. I wanted to send you messages, but -”

            “The Alliance was watching your comms,” he finished for her. He smiled. “I just meant maybe it had given you time to rethink being a Turian’s mate - it happened fairly quickly after all,” he admitted.

            She scrunched her nose and shook her head vigorously in denial. “The thought never even crossed my mind. But how did you know my comms were being watched?”

            “Joker kept me updated; he’d send me a quick message after each time he visited you, told me he’d let me know when you needed a jail break. He said you’d taken up, uh - goga?”

            She squeezed his hand. “Yoga,” she gently corrected, then wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she explained, “I needed to keep up on my flexibility.”

            His eye plates lifted and his mandibles fluttered slightly at the innuendo. He coughed lightly, quickly glancing over his shoulder at where Doctor Chakwas sat. “Well,” he whispered finally, “I’ll have to test that out later, see how you did.”

            Shepard felt goose bumps spring up on her arms at the thought, and his mandibles flexed again when he noticed.  She reluctantly realized that she should change the subject to avoid arousing either of them further; she was beginning to feel eager to take a chance at overexerting herself, but knew that their time apart was going to lead to an intense reunion she currently wasn’t up for. “So, tell me, you’re the ‘expert advisor’ on Reapers now?” she teased him.

            “It’s not as impressive as it sounds,” he informed her. “I ruffled some feathers, so they gave me a token title along with a token task force so I’d shut up.”

            “How’d you manage that?”

            “Just followed your example, Fiona,” he smirked. “Yell loud enough, and eventually someone will come over to see what all of the fuss is about.” He squeezed her hand as she gave him a playful glare. “Not that they’ll actually do anything about it.”

            Shepard laughed. “Until hell shows up at their door. Then they put you in charge.”

            “Not like the old days, is it? Rogue Spectre and C-Sec agents running and gunning outside the lines, making it up as we went along,” he mused. “We’re actually respectable now.”

            “Speak for yourself,” she retorted, laughing until she winced. She sighed, her mirth spent once it caused her pain. He frowned over her and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Yeah, I have a feeling that respect comes with a lot of sleepless nights…I can’t even begin to count how many lives depend on us, Garrus.”

            He continued running his fingers through her hair, his other hand gripping hers tightly. “Well, when things are looking grim – and I’m pretty sure they will – remember,” he leaned close to her face, “we’re in this together.”

            She smiled at him, and he pressed his forehead to hers again. For a moment they were silent, Shepard feeling gradually comforted by the fact that he was at her side again. He finally pulled back from her face and resumed his combing of her hair. “And if it ends with both of us dying in a giant explosion taking out a Reaper – remember, I took the killshot,” he teased, and she chuckled, finally feeling the black mood she had been in since leaving Earth slowly dissipating in his presence.

            “Is your family still on Palaven?” she asked suddenly, looking up at him with concern. She saw the sparkle of humor fade from his eyes as he glanced down at where they held hands.

            “My father is there. Sister too,” he replied softly.

            “How long has it been since you heard from them?”

            “Long enough to be worried,” he looked back up into her eyes and a moment of quiet understanding passed between them. She squeezed his hand, sympathetic tears filling her eyes.

            “I’m sure they’re okay,” she murmured. He gave a heavy sigh and finally stopped combing through her hair with his long fingers. He raised his hand to his forehead and rubbed his eye plates.

            “That’s the thing about getting old, Fiona - the platitudes get just as old,” he muttered. “I will say though, for the first time since we met, we’re not alone in this fight. I think that’s improved our odds.”

            “You’re right, Garrus,” she agreed, her mood lightening a little bit more.

            He gave her hand another tight squeeze. “That’s what I’m here for. That and looking stylish,” he chuckled. Shepard yawned suddenly, and Garrus nodded his head; he lifted her hand to his mouth and rubbed her fingertips against it for a moment before he spoke. “I was wondering when you would get tired – I’ll let you get some rest. I won’t be far, I’m just going to go check on the guns in the battery.”

            Shepard cocked an eyebrow teasingly. “Going to make sure they’re calibrated?”

            He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Yes, Fiona, that’s the plan - it’ll help take my mind off things for a while. I’ll come back to check on you later, but for now get some sleep.” He helped get her situated in bed, gently lowering the bed and tucking the sheets around her. He quickly brushed his forehead against hers before he stood and walked briskly out of the med bay, taking a right to head to the battery.

            Her eyelids felt heavy and she nestled under the sheets, intending to fall asleep immediately. But the med bay doors opened and Primarch Victus walked in; he took a moment to look around, nodding a polite greeting to Dr. Chakwas where she sat before he caught sight of Shepard laying awake in bed. He approached her bedside hesitantly, and looked at the chair for a second before he decided to sit. She watched his movements with some humor; he was trying to be so decorous and yet seemed a little self-conscious, and she was beginning to wonder if Garrus’ endearing awkwardness was just a Turian trait.

            “Commander Shepard, I apologize for bothering you,” he began. “I saw Vakarian leave the med bay and assumed maybe it meant you were awake and able to talk – if I’d known you were resting…”

            Shepard gave him a small smile to reassure him. “It’s fine, Primarch, although you’ll have to forgive me for not sitting up to speak with you. I’ve been ordered not to move, and my doctor is unbelievably strict.” At these words Dr. Chakwas gave an audible scoff, shaking her head in suppressed mirth behind the Primarch. Shepard’s smile grew wider. “How can I help you, Primarch?

            “Before Vakarian informed me that you had been wounded, I wondered at the supposed strength and resilience of the ‘Great Commander Shepard,’ whom I had heard so much about,” Victus mused. “I thought maybe my demand that we bring the Krogan into the fight at Palaven had caused you to faint.”

            Shepard chuckled. “It was unfortunate timing, and has probably done permanent damage to my reputation.”

            He gave a short bark of laughter. “However, now that you are awake I would like to discuss the Krogan matter further,” he said. His hands were resting on his knees, and his look became serious. “I know that you’re still recovering, but I would like for us to send word to the Krogan leader and convene the summit as quickly as we possibly can. Palaven and Earth depend on it.”

            “Of course, Primarch,” Shepard agreed. “Fortunately I know the Krogan leader, Urdnot Wrex. He’s an old friend of mine. I promise I’ll do all that I can to bring the Krogan onboard to help.”

            “Even cure the genophage?” he asked, and he carefully watched her face for her reaction.

            She steadily returned his gaze, and then gave a slow nod. “Yes, even cure the genophage.”

            The Primarch’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Commander. I believe that will be the price the Krogans ask, and I wanted to be sure you were willing to do what it will take.”

            Shepard nodded at him, and then lay watching him in silence. She had expected him to leave, but he sat staring at the floor, seemingly lost in thought. “I care about Palaven as well, Primarch. I plan on doing everything I can to help.”

            He looked up at her and gave a grateful jerk of his head. His eyes searched her face though, and then he caught sight of something on her neck and frowned deeply. It only took her half a second to realize that Garrus’ faded mark was visible, and she self-consciously reached a hand up to it and covered it lightly with her fingers. Victus seemed to realize he had accidentally pried, and he raised his eyes back to her face and gave her an apologetic half-smile. “Thank you, Commander. Hopefully we will be able to do what we can for both Palaven and Earth.”

            He finally stood with a parting nod and left the med bay. Shepard intently watched through the large window, and saw him hesitate outside the door for a moment before taking a right to head to the battery. She groaned and put a hand over her forehead, unsure if she should be embarrassed or worried at his reaction. She knew he was going to speak with Garrus, and she felt certain that he had recognized the faint outline of the scars for what they were.

            Doctor Chakwas turned to face Shepard when she heard her groan. “Commander, are you all right?” She questioned and rose quickly to approach her patient’s bedside.

            Shepard began to laugh, her hand covering her eyes in exasperation. “Oh, you know…just accidentally flaunted my relationship with a high-ranking Turian vigilante to the Primarch of Palaven,” she heaved a sigh. “How are you, Doctor Chakwas?”

            The older woman was frowning down at the Commander, clearly at a loss. “I didn’t hear anything about Garrus,” she muttered. Shepard tilted her head and made sure her hair was out of the way to show the doctor. Chakwas leaned over her to inspect the mark, brows knitting together as she observed it. “Commander, is that -”

            Shepard sighed and looked up at the other woman. “It’s how Turians claim their bonded mate,” she explained. “Garrus did it before we headed to Earth six months ago.”

            Doctor Chakwas straightened and folded her arms as she looked skeptically at Shepard. “Garrus never has seemed to care much about being what you might call a ‘typical Turian,’ has he? I doubt he’ll care what the Primarch thinks about his decision regarding such a personal matter. I’m sure it isn’t anything to concern yourself with too much.” She opened her omni-tool and began checking Shepard’s vitals, and continued as she did so, “Besides, if you’re his bonded mate, there’s not much anyone else can do about it, is there?”

            Thoughtfully Shepard gave a slight shrug. “True, I suppose you’re right. I just hope this isn’t the sort of thing that could interfere with the Primarch and our plans for the summit.” Shepard frowned and glanced up at the other woman. “You’re awfully casual about the fact that Garrus and I are together, Doctor. Have you come across other human-turian relationships?”

            Chakwas closed her omni-tool and shook her head. “Not committed ones, no. But you two are so well-suited it’s hard to imagine you wouldn’t find happiness with each other. I actually forget sometimes that the cross-species aspect would be odd to other people, because I know you both so well, and I’ve seen you together so often.”

            Shepard smiled. “It was funny to me how many people from the old Normandy crew seemed to be secretly rooting for us.”

            “Oh, it definitely came up in discussion with the crew. Joker and I even had a small bet placed on it,” the doctor casually informed her.

            Shepard gawked at her. “Wait, when did you make this bet?” she asked, remembering that she had sworn Joker to secrecy about the beginning of hers and Garrus’ relationship long before the Collector mission. She hoped he hadn’t used the knowledge to his advantage over the doctor.

            “Back on the Normandy 1, actually. I mentioned to Joker that you seemed down after Garrus was forced to depart once you had defeated Saren, and we made a bet on when you would get together,” the doctor replied nonchalantly.

            The Commander burst into laughter until her chest finally stopped her with a sharp pain. She tried to calm herself and asked, “Who won the bet?”

             Doctor Chakwas smiled. “I did,” she answered smoothly.


	3. A Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for Garrus' confession in this chapter was inspired by the fic "Curiosity" by quondam. Go read it if you haven't, it's amazing.
> 
> xx,  
> L

            Shepard slept for the next ten hours, finally waking up to see Garrus sitting by her side again. He had brought in her guns and was absorbed in the task of attaching some of his upgrade mods to them. She lay for a long moment watching him, still just happy to be in his presence. He glanced up and saw her eyes open and immediately set the gun down on the table beside her bed.

            “Hey, how are you feeling?” he asked her, his voice full of affection as he pushed some errant strands of hair out of her face.

            “Hungry,” she replied as her stomach growled suddenly.

            “I’ll get you something,” he said, and walked quickly out of the med bay to the mess hall. Doctor Chakwas walked over and took Garrus’ place beside her bed, her omni-tool open as she checked Shepard’s progress.

            “The rest did you plenty of good, Commander,” the doctor informed her. “You’re still on track to a very speedy recovery.”

            Garrus returned carrying a meal bar, canteen of water, and a small cup of coffee. He set them on her bedside table and then adjusted the bed so that Shepard was in a sitting position. She gratefully picked up the coffee and began to sip it while he opened the meal bar and handed it to her.

            “Thank you, Garrus,” she mumbled as she took a big bite out of the bar. He sat watching her eat, and she wondered if he was also remembering the last time they had torn through meal bars together in the mess hall before he’d taken her on the table. She smiled fondly at the memory, and he noticed and returned her smile.

            “Better?” he asked when she had finished eating.

            “Much,” she replied. She took a sip of coffee to wash it down, and then looked at him more seriously. “Did Victus come and see you?”

            “Ah,” he said, picking up one of the guns to fidget with. “Yes, he did.”

            She waited for a moment for him to answer, but when he didn’t she prompted him, “And?”

            “He was curious, for the most part,” he answered finally. “He said he hadn’t realized I was the kind of Turian who would ‘settle down.’ He asked me for how long, who knew, if I’d told my father, those sorts of things. He even tried to jokingly accuse me of singing your praises because of our relationship – I assured him that wasn’t the case.” Garrus still wouldn’t look up at her though, and she wondered if there was something more.

            “Garrus, what is it?” she queried.

            “Well, Fiona, I, ah, may have told a story one night as a distraction to the men,” he admitted. She raised her eyebrow as he continued. “I didn’t mention who, of course, but we were in the middle of a war and the men started swapping stories. They were all talking about Turians and Asari they’d been with. No one had any stories about humans, they started sharing wild stories they’d heard from other turians, what they’d seen in vids…I felt compelled to set the record straight.”

            She chuckled a little, and found she wasn’t even the slightest bit angry. He glanced at her, encouraged by her laugh. “So which story did you choose?”

            “Oh, the second time,” he confessed. “They didn’t need anything sentimental, just something to take their minds off the sound of Reapers attacking Palaven in the background. Telling them about the wild night I had with a human to work off mission stress and celebrate being alive was the easiest choice.”

            She thought back over that second time, and found herself agreeing with his selection. “But what does that have to do with Victus?”

            “He was in the room when I shared the story,” he replied. “He told me he’d had his suspicions regarding who I was talking about, and he said he was a little shocked after hearing that story that you were actually bonded to me, and not just a fling that one time.”

            She frowned a little, confused. “What does he mean, Garrus?”

            But just then the med bay shook as a suppressed blast sounded in the AI Core to their left. The lights of the Normandy surged, and it almost sounded like a reset of the systems. They heard Joker start to swear over the comms and call out to EDI.

            “Commander, EDI’s gone offline!”

             Shepard pushed the sheets back and swung her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring Dr. Chakwas’ renewed protestations at her movement.

            “Joker I’m still in the med bay, I’ll check it out,” she informed the pilot over the comms, and then steadied herself on her feet for a brief moment before she tried walking toward the AI Core. Garrus moved swiftly to the door, still holding one of the guns he’d been working on. They shared a look, silently counting down together before opening the door.

            Smoke poured out of the Core, and Shepard could see a small fire on one side of the room. Garrus handed her the gun and then reached for the nearest extinguisher. He began to put out the fire while she pressed the buttons for the fans and ventilation to clear the smoke. As it began to clear, she saw a figure standing in the middle of the room, holding its arms out and staring at its hands.

            Shepard raised the gun she was holding and took a few steps into the room. “Don’t move,” she commanded, and the figure raised its gaze to Shepard and smiled. It was the android that had been Eva Core, but something was definitely different.

            “Hello, Shepard,” came the voice of EDI, greeting her from the android’s lips.

            “EDI?” Shepard asked, lowering the gun and stepping further into the room.

            “Yes,” EDI replied. She resumed looking over her hands, something akin to wonder on her metal face. “I apologize for the fire, I was infiltrating this unit and extracting its data, and realized I could take it over; it struggled.”

            Garrus moved to stand behind Shepard, looking over the android with surprise. “Maybe next time you could give us a little head’s up?” he drawled.

            “I apologize, but alerting you would have taken too much time,” EDI looked up at them expectantly.

            Shepard finally found her voice and began to laugh, but her ribs gave a twinge and she calmed herself. “So, EDI, are you, ah - in that body now?”

            “I am still in the ship, but I can take control this mobile platform. I will even be able to bring it into battle, though it would be best to stay in range of the Normandy’s sensors.”

            “You could come into battle with us?” Garrus questioned, and he and Shepard shared an interested look.

            “Yes, and I look forward to testing out this body’s capabilities at your earliest convenience.” EDI began to walk past them, out of the AI Core. “Now, I’m curious what Joker will think of my new mobile platform. I will be in the cockpit.”

            Garrus watched EDI walk away and gave Shepard a sideways glance. “Joker is about to have the best day ever.”


	4. Never Doubt Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, something that's been requested a lot in the comments.  
> The status of their relationship is finally revealed.
> 
> xx,  
> L

            Shepard had excused herself from the med bay, despite Doctor Chakwas’ insistence that she stay on bed rest a bit longer. It had been almost eleven hours, and Shepard decided it was time for her to get back to work. After promising the Doctor that she would refrain from overexertion, she and Garrus took the lift up to the captain’s cabin, and Shepard sat and sent messages to Wrex as well as the Asari and Salarian leaders. Victus was right; they needed to convene the summit as soon as they could.

            Garrus had moved to the sofa and was working on something on his omni-tool when she finished answering her messages. Shepard finally stood and went over to sit beside him, curling her legs up under her as she leaned back against the sofa, her head resting on his armored shoulder. He closed up his omni-tool and put his arm across the back of the sofa, pulling her closer to him. “Remember my first night back on the Normandy?”

            “On the observation deck?” Shepard smiled. “Of course I do.”

            Garrus chuckled and reached his other hand over to her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I felt a little crazy with how close we were sitting - I mean you were practically in my lap. I’m glad you can’t smell pheromones as well as Turians, Shepard, I would have been mortified. Although I will say, toward the end of the night, I could smell yours.”

            Shepard looked up at him, slightly surprised. “You could?”

            “Mmhmm,” he hummed, and he bent his arm from where it lay on the back of the sofa to run his fingers through her hair. “I was confused, and a little encouraged. But far too nervous to try anything.”

            Shepard giggled. “If only you knew what I came up here and did, you wouldn’t have been nervous anymore.”

            He looked at her, his brow plates raised and his mandibles fluttering. “What do you mean?”

            “That night I realized that I didn’t just like you as a friend – I wanted you to fuck me,” Shepard sighed. “I…tried to imagine what it would be like and used my – well, my hand and my imagination.”

            Garrus’ mandibles fluttered again, faster, as he imagined it. “I wish I had known, maybe we could have had that much more time together.”

            The corner of her mouth rose in a smirk as she remembered the way she had imagined him having his way with her on the sofa in the observation deck. When she’d finally experienced the real thing, it had been even better than her fantasies that night. But she suddenly remembered what they’d been discussing before they were interrupted in the med bay, and she sat up and turned to face him, her look quizzical. “Garrus,” she said tentatively, “why was Victus so surprised that we’re bonded? Am I missing an implication there?”

            He shifted nervously next to her. “I told you when I did it, Shepard; it was instinctual and impulsive, and I’ve spent months wondering whether or not…” Her heart sank when he paused, and she found herself momentarily terrified that he’d thought she had changed her mind because he had. “I shouldn’t have done it like that, not in the heat of the moment. Not with you, when you didn’t fully understand what it meant.”

            Shepard tilted her head, remembering the declaration he had followed his claim with. “It means we belong to each other, doesn’t it?”

            Garrus nodded slowly. “Well, yes,” he agreed. “But it means we belong to each other - for life. Once Turians are bonded, that’s it. I’ll never have another mate, just you. I realized though that you wouldn’t necessarily feel bound to me in the same instinctive way - that you could walk away if you wanted. I should have explained first.”

            She sat for a moment, thinking. “It’s the Turian equivalent of being married?” He looked at her and gave a short, affirmative nod, and then watched her face for her reaction. His eyes lit up when all she did was smile and squeeze his hand. “You scared me, Vakarian; I thought it meant I had to give up my career and have a lot of Turian babies, or was bound to be your slave or something.”

            Garrus laughed, sounding a little relieved. “No, it just…it’s our highest level of commitment. And I wish I’d thought to speak to you first, but for Turians that decision happens during sex, it happens instinctually. Our evolutionary nature kicks in when we’ve found the right mate, and we just do it, claiming our partner as we release our seed into them. I’d never felt the urge with anyone else before, and I couldn’t believe how overwhelming it was when I experienced it. I wasn’t expecting it, but I couldn’t have stopped myself if I’d tried. I just knew right then that you were all I’ve ever wanted or would ever want.”

            She reached a hand to his mandibles and brought his face down to hers so that she could kiss him more easily. “I feel the same, still. And you don’t have to worry about me changing my mind about it. But why was Victus so surprised? Don’t Turians who have Asari mates do the same thing?”

            Garrus shrugged. “Of course. But…I don’t think a Turian has ever marked a human before,” he looked down at her and her eyes widened in surprise. “Sure, there are Turians who have human fetishes, I remember them talking about it when I worked at C-Sec. Some Turians bed humans, but none of them ever consider humans to be mate material.”

            “So I’m potentially the first human bride in Turian history?” Shepard giggled and settled back against him, snuggling as close as she could with his armor between them. “I kind of like that.”

            “I’m curious,” he began, suddenly thoughtful. “I did more research into human customs, including human commitment ceremonies – do we need to have one?”

            Shepard shook her head fervently. “No, I’ve never been a wedding person. Although…”

            “Although what?”

            “Well, we could do one to get the Alliance to recognize us as married. Or at least file the paperwork,” she mused. “Do we need to do that with the Turian Hierarchy?”

            “I, ah – I already did, when I first returned to Palaven. Just to make it official, so that legally they would consider you my mate. I figured with a war about to start it was probably a good idea. The person in the records office was surprised; it was the first time they’d had to use a form for a human. I didn’t tell anyone else, though,” he admitted quietly. He looked at her cautiously, and was met with a smile.

            “One more thing checked off our to-do list,” she observed. “But I have to know, Garrus, what made you think I’d changed my mind? I knew how serious you were when you said ‘bonded’ and ‘mate’ and ‘we belong together.’ Did you think I would so easily walk away from that?”

            He shook his head. “No, that was…momentary weakness on my part. I thought maybe for you it had been heat of the moment, because we had been spending so much time together in bed that you agreed without fully realizing it meant for life…or that you’d been around humans and realized you didn’t actually prefer a Turian for your mate.”

            Shepard laughed. “I didn’t even look at anyone else while I was there. I spent my time reading, doing yoga, and,” she sat up suddenly and began to key in commands on her omni-tool, remembering, “and writing you messages.” She pulled up her encrypted drive and opened the folder of her letters.

            Garrus stared at the amount of files, his eyes wide and his mandible sagging, completely dumbfounded. “Fiona, how many did you write?”

            “One every day I was away from you,” she murmured softly. “I couldn’t send them, and I didn’t trust Joker to pass them along. And so I saved them to give to you later, if we ever found each other again.” She began a transfer between their omni-tools, and then leaned back against him.

            His arm tightened around her and they sat in silence for a long time, simply enjoying each other’s company. “I’ll never doubt you again, Fiona,” he whispered. “Although I don’t think I was really doubting you -”

            “You were doubting yourself, again,” Shepard finished for him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “You don’t need to doubt whether or not I want to be a one-Turian kind of woman, Garrus, or wonder if you’re good enough to keep me beside you. I knew what it meant, that night, and I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew what we were doing over those few days together, discovering how deeply we actually cared for each other, beyond the sex and our friendship.” His sub harmonics purred and he nuzzled his mandibles against the hair on the top of her head. She raised her gaze to his and looked into his eyes intently, and for the first time in her life she declared, “I love you, Garrus Vakarian.”

            He returned her gaze, his silver eyes sparkling as he took in her words. “I – I love you too, Fiona Shepard.” He raised a hand to her chin and pulled her in for a kiss, savoring the feeling of her lips before he released her. “I’m glad I watched the vid on that one and taught myself that word, otherwise I would have been very confused just now.”

            She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

            “Turians don’t have a word like that; my translator doesn’t really have an exact word to replace it with. We show love through actions; through taking care of one another, protecting one another from danger, and sex. But we don’t say it.”

            She thought back to his tender lovemaking in the shower when she had been crying, and how he had bathed her when they were done; she remembered too how he had thrown himself over her to protect her when the flying Reaper had flown low over them on Menae. A smile came to her face as she realized that had all been him saying ‘I love you.’ She comprehended now why his passionate declaration after he had claimed her hadn’t involved the word love. She had inferred it between the lines, had understood that everything he said meant he loved her deeply, but she vaguely realized that the actual word had been absent. She had thought at the time maybe he was concerned she would think it was too soon for the word. But that was more of a human male response, and he was proving to be very different from what she was used to – in the best ways possible. “That explains a few things,” she finally acquiesced.

            He chuckled. “I hadn’t watched any vids on human courtships or how humans show commitment before I marked you – I naively assumed we were just embarking on a physical relationship and spent my time researching that in depth so I wouldn’t embarrass myself,” he shook his head in humor. “Instead I married you without announcing my intentions first. After that I spent our time apart reading as much as I could about your customs so that I wouldn’t make a similar mistake again.”

            “Oh? And what else did you discover?”

            Garrus held a hand up to his chin and thought, playfully mulling it over. “Well, I read something that said you were supposed to be a virgin when we got married, and I wondered if I was supposed to be angry about that -”

            Shepard began laughing until she felt a small throb of pain in her ribs, and she calmed herself before she teased, “How far back did you research our customs? That one stopped being the norm a long time ago.”

            “Human society varies much more than Turian society does, I wanted to see how things were different across the species,” Garrus explained reasonably. “It was fascinating how much you all differ, actually. Shepard, are you all right?”

            She had sat up on the sofa and was beginning to stand when he stopped her, concerned. She smiled down at him before she walked over to her terminal. “You keep saying ‘when we got married,’ and it just finally hit me that I am actually married,” she told him as she took her seat before her terminal. “There’s a few things I need to do…come here,” she requested, and he stood and walked over to join her.

            She pulled up her comms on the terminal and tried to reach Admiral Anderson on Earth. It took two attempts before it connected, and Shepard smiled broadly when she finally saw his face come into view. “Anderson!” she cried, relieved.

            “It’s good to see you, Shepard,” he greeted her.

            “Where are you?” she asked him, not recognizing anything in the background.

            “At one of the Resistance bases – we’ve managed to stay hidden for the most part, but it’s bad all over,” he sighed. “The sooner you can get the fleets together and come back, the better.”

            Shepard nodded. “We’re working on it, Anderson. We have plans for a Prothean device, a weapon, and Admiral Hackett is already getting construction on it started. I’m trying to support a war summit with the Council species’ leaders to amass their forces for our defenses,” she gave a little sigh. “We’ll be coming to get you as soon as we can.”

            “Good,” Anderson agreed. He looked at her for a moment, frowning a little. “Is there another reason you called? You look like you have something on your mind.”

            “Well,” she began, and she motioned to Garrus to come into the frame. He knelt down on one knee beside her and glanced her way, confused, but remained silent for the moment. “I had some good news I wanted to share with you. I know it seems like an odd time, I mean you’re – you’re trapped on Earth, but -”

            “Shepard, I could use some good news right now, no matter how small,” Anderson prompted her.

            She took a steadying breath. “Anderson, I believe you’ve met Garrus Vakarian on the Citadel before,” she said, and waited as Garrus and Anderson shared a nod of recognition and greeting. “I wanted to tell you – we’re married.”

            Anderson raised his eyebrows in surprise for a moment, and then smiled. “Congratulations, Shepard,” he said. “When did this happen?”

            Shepard gave a small laugh. “Remember how you gave me a hard time for turning myself in at the last moment?”

            “You told me you’d had some matters to attend to,” Anderson recalled.

            Shepard smiled and gestured to Garrus. “That was one of the matters.”

            Anderson laughed. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? I mean you were here for six months,” he mused.

            “I was protecting Garrus; I wasn’t sure how far Cerberus would go to get back at me. Plus it was a precarious situation, with the Reapers most likely on their way and me on house arrest for crimes against the galaxy…”

            Anderson shook his head, laughing a little. “Thank you for telling me now. Remind me to buy you a gift when all of this is over,” he smiled, and then looked at Garrus. “Take good care of her, Vakarian. I’ve done my best for the last fourteen years, but she’s a stubborn, strong-willed, amazing handful who doesn’t take care of herself as much as she should. And right now the galaxy is depending on her.”

            Garrus nodded, his look solemn. “I will, Anderson, you can count on me.”

            “Good! Well, Shepard,” he looked at her for a moment, a soft look in his eyes. “I’m happy for you. Keep up the fight. I hope to see you soon.”

            “Same here, Anderson. Stay safe out there,” she told him, giving him a watery smile before he disconnected the comms. She released a shaky breath and Garrus reached out to squeeze her shoulder.

            “He’ll be all right, Fiona,” he said reassuringly. She rubbed her cheek against his knuckles before she opened a different comm. channel. “Now who are we calling?”

            “Alliance personnel,” she muttered as she looked through the directory to find the right office. She finally found it and called. A young woman with short hair and an Alliance uniform answered the call.

            “Hello, thank you for calling the Alliance personnel office. What is your badge number, please?” Shepard gave her information and the woman entered it into her terminal to pull up the Commander’s file. “Oh! Commander Shepard. I see that your reinstatement has been entered officially, after Admiral Anderson verbally reinstated you in the – in the course of battle. Is there something you need to update in your files, or have you found an error?”

            “I need to update something,” Shepard replied.

            “And what are we updating, Commander?”

            “Marital status,” Shepard informed her, and she saw a flicker of surprise cross the woman’s face before she resumed her professional demeanor.

            “All right. I’m assuming we’re changing it from single to married?” she queried gently and Shepard nodded. The woman smiled. “Congratulations, Commander. We’ve been having to update a lot of personnel files for the same reason, recently. A lot of people deciding now’s the time.”

            Shepard smiled but didn’t reply.

            “I’ve got the status changed, now I just need your spouse’s information.”

            “Vakarian, Garrus,” Shepard said and then she spelled it, and as the other woman entered the name she frowned slightly. “He’s Turian.”

            The assistant stopped typing and looked up, a bewildered expression on her face. She looked to the side for the first time and saw Garrus kneeling beside Shepard. “Oh!” she said again in surprise, but seemed unable to say anything else for a moment. Shepard and Garrus continued smiling, waiting for the woman to either say something or continue filling out the form. She took a moment to collect herself before she looked to see what the next box was that she was supposed to fill out. “A-And when was the happy day?”

            Shepard frowned and turned to look at Garrus for a moment, trying to remember. He smiled blithely at her before he turned to the woman and gave the date, and then teased, “I thought women were the ones who remembered anniversaries.”

            She scrunched her nose at him before chuckling. He understood why she couldn’t remember the date; those few days were a continuous blur and she couldn’t easily remember which day had been the one when he had marked her. He must have figured it out when he filed on Palaven.

            The personnel assistant finished filling in the date and then looked back to Garrus. “Occupation, Mr. Vakarian?”

            “Senior Expert Advisor to the Turian Hierarchy of Palaven,” he informed her. Shepard raised her eyebrows at him; the Hierarchy really had given him an official sounding title to go with his task force.

            “Date of birth?”

            “November 5, 2153,” he replied. Shepard raised her eyebrows at him. “I had to know my human equivalent birthday for C-Sec, everyone always asked me when it was.”

            “All right,” the assistant continued after filling in his birthday. “And has your marriage been filed with the Turian Hierarchy and the Committee for Interspecies Families?”

            “With the Turian Hierarchy, yes,” Garrus replied. “Is the other an Alliance or Council organization?”

            “It is a Council organization, intended to assist families from different species with any issues arising from their union, including legal, cultural, or anything in relation to offspring,” she informed them. “They mostly deal with Asari pairings, but they are meant to keep track and assist all interspecies unions.”

            Shepard raised her eyebrows at Garrus. “Maybe we’ll find out if we are actually the first.”

            “You’re the first I’ve ever heard of,” the personnel assistant blurted out, and then covered her mouth with her fingertips; she looked mortified. “I apologize. I just never expected I would be the one handling this, especially not for… I am very happy for you, Commander Shepard.”

            Garrus smiled graciously at her. “Don’t worry, we know how odd it is. The Turian who helped me fill out my paperwork for the Hierarchy spent thirty minutes trying to find the right form and finally just had to make a completely new one for a human spouse.”

            The assistant nodded, grateful for their understanding of her astonishment. “It looks like the last thing I need to ask is about benefits; should Commander Shepard -”

            “Everything,” Shepard interrupted. “If anything should happen to me, I would like for everything to go to my spouse.”

            The assistant marked her answer and nodded her head. “All right. I have everything changed for you, Commander. I recommend filing with the Committee for Interspecies Families as soon as you can. Should anything happen, they will be able to assist you and will know which resources are available to you, help serve as a liaison between the Alliance and the Hierarchy – in a time like this, I recommend reaching out to them soon.”

            “Thanks,” Shepard replied.

            “You’re very welcome, Commander. And again, congratulations,” but here she paused, grappling with something. Finally she looked at Shepard, her face serious and sad, “Keep up the fight, Commander. We’re all rooting for you… Thank you,” the woman smiled one last time at both of them and ended the call. Garrus gave a chuckle.

            “How was that easier than my time at Hierarchy Personnel?” he asked, bemused. But he leaned down and gave Shepard a kiss on the forehead before he stood up, flexing the knee he had been kneeling on this whole time. Shepard searched the extranet for the committee’s information.

            “Oh, this one is just a form we can fill out,” she said. “Damn, I almost wanted to shock a third person by making them fill out information on a human-turian marriage.”

            “It looks like you can attach a message,” he pointed to a box on the form. “You could ask them to let us know if we’re the first human-turian couple who’s ever registered with them.”

            Shepard giggled. “I might do that,” she teased as she began filling out the form. Garrus stood looking down at her for a moment, and finally she raised her head to check if he was okay.

            “You really did mean it,” he murmured finally. When he saw her cock a brow at him questioningly, he explained, “You really did mean you wanted to marry me. You just made it official with Anderson and the Alliance…”

            She chuckled and shook her head, going back to filling out the form on her terminal. “I told you, Garrus. I knew what I was doing.” He stroked her hair, and she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling. “You should probably stop that soon, otherwise I’ll be tempted to overexert myself and Chakwas will have your hide when I break my back again.”

            Garrus raised his hand and backed away from her, hands held up before him as if surrendering. “You’re right, you’re right, I’ll stop.” He walked back to the sofa and sat, stretching one leg lazily out on the table before him. She delighted in how natural he looked, relaxing in her cabin. He opened his omni-tool and pulled something up, beginning to read. A smile crossed his face and she wondered what he was reading.

            Shepard finished the last few items on the form and submitted it, requesting a message verifying when their registration was completed. She stretched a little, yearning to go back to the sofa with Garrus, but realized she needed to check her messages again and see if she had received word from Wrex or the other leaders. There was a short message from Wrex saying he’d attend, but he didn’t sound thrilled. Although when did he ever, she mused with a smirk. The Asari Councilor had written to say the Asari leadership would be sitting out of the summit, and the Salarian Dalatrass had agreed, but sounded angry the Krogan would be in attendance. Shepard sighed and forwarded the messages to the primarch.

            “Joker?” she called out over the comms.

            “Yes, Commander?” he responded. She noticed his voice sounded more cheerful than normal, and realized EDI’s shiny new robot body probably had something to do with that.

            “We need to get to the meeting place for the war summit; I believe I gave you the coordinates already, correct?”

            “You did, Commander,” EDI chimed in.

            “Great. Get us there, please.”

            “Roger that, Commander. Looks like a six hour trip. Joker out.”

            Shepard looked at the clock on her terminal and sighed. She still had at least eleven hours of not being able to overexert herself. She looked over at where Garrus sat and saw him still absorbed in what he was reading, his mandibles flexing and extending as he did. She stood and stretched, the muscles in her back and around her ribs aching as she did so. She definitely still needed more time to heal completely. Heaving a disappointed sigh she walked over to the sofa and sat beside Garrus, leaning over him slightly so she could peek at what he was reading. It was one of her letters.

            “I’ve never heard of ‘jazz,’” he said suddenly, and she leaned over to see what he was referring to. It was one of the letters she had written while exploring her interest in jazz again, and she had described what she was learning about it to him. She smiled and opened her omni-tool; she still had some of her favorite songs saved on it from the archives.

            Shepard queued up “Kiss of Fire,” by Louis Armstrong and played it so that they could listen to it together. Garrus tilted his head, listening to it, his mandibles fluttering occasionally. When the song was over he nodded gently and looked at her, his gaze soft. “That’s just one style of jazz, too, but he’s one of the most famous jazz musicians. This one is a duet with him and one of the most famous jazz singers,” and she hit play on “Dream a Little Dream of Me” with Ella Fitzgerald. Garrus sat listening the same way he had listened to the first song she played him. When it was over, he gave her the same soft gaze and smile he had before. She raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

            “Those songs – they’re about love, deep love,” he mused. “And about missing someone.”

            She nudged him with her shoulder, “Still believe I didn’t spend my time thinking about you while I was on house arrest?”

            He pressed his forehead to hers, his arm wrapped around her and squeezing her tightly. “I’ll never doubt that again.”


	5. The Summit

            Shepard had dozed off against Garrus’s shoulder, legs curled under her and the tablet she had been reading from rested in her lap, forgotten as sleep overwhelmed her. He was still reading her letters on his omni-tool, one arm around her, his hand absently stroking her hair as he held her sleeping form close against him. An hour passed in this scene of relaxed, domestic bliss before the door to the cabin opened and Garrus looked up, his voice awakening Shepard as he called out, “Hello, Liara.”

            “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Liara faltered on the top step beside Shepard’s desk, taking in the two of them cuddled on the sofa. Shepard sat up and stretched, smiling at their Asari friend.

            “It’s all right, Liara, please come join us,” Shepard said, stifling a small yawn. Garrus closed his omni-tool as Liara took a seat on the other side of Shepard on the adjacent sofa.

            “I missed visiting you in the med bay – how are you feeling?” the Asari looked intently into Shepard’s face.

            “On the mend,” Shepard replied, smiling. “I should be up and ready to go by tomorrow.”

            “That quickly?” Liara looked surprised.

            “Well, thanks to Cerberus, I heal quite a bit faster now,” Shepard enlightened her. “My cybernetics probably saved me from being down for the count.”

            Liara nodded appreciatively. “Good, I’m glad to hear it. I actually came up here to discuss Cerberus and some other matters with you, if you have a moment.”

            “What’s on your mind?”

            “Looking through the data we recovered from Dr. Eva Core’s body, I was able to determine that the Illusive Man was most likely able to upload the majority of the blueprints for the Prothean device before we stopped the transfer.”

            Shepard sighed and lightly rubbed one of her temples as she thought. “That’s good to know, I suppose.”

            “What do you think he’ll do with it?” Garrus asked, his eye plates low in a frown.

            “I’m not sure,” Liara confessed. Shepard shook her head, at a loss. “But I received a status update from Admiral Hackett; construction has begun, and the beauty of the design is in its simplicity. He reports that after the blueprint is translated, the actual work of building it is remarkably intuitive.”

            Shepard gave a small smile.

            “That’s good news,” Garrus agreed.

             “I also spoke with Primarch Victus. He seems to think the Krogan will insist on a cure for the genophage in exchange for their help.”

            “Yes, he mentioned the same to me,” Shepard told her. “He came to see me in the med bay, said he wanted to be sure that I was willing to do whatever it took to help Palaven.”

            “I see,” Liara raised her eyebrows. “Do you think it is possible?”

            Shepard looked at Garrus and gave a small shrug. “Saren was working on a cure, Mordin’s old student, Maelon, had been working on one as well…Their intentions and methods were barbaric, but both had made incredible progress.”

            Liara fell silent, thinking. Suddenly she smiled and looked at the pair sitting beside her. “The Primarch also seemed a bit shocked to find his trusted Reaper advisor bonded to the ‘Great Commander Shepard,’” she teased.

            Garrus tightened his arm around Shepard’s shoulder as he gave a lazy grin. “Oh, he mentioned that to you?”

            Shepard chuckled. “He accidentally saw my bond mark, and immediately went to confront Garrus about it.”

            Liara laughed lightly. “Yes, I ran into him the mess hall as he left the battery; he was quite stunned by the notion. He said he felt ‘bamboozled;’ that Garrus had tricked him in to trusting you because you’re his mate, and so that he could get back to you.”

            Garrus scoffed playfully and drawled, “He’ll recover from the shock quickly enough when Shepard gets the Krogan to help Palaven.”

            Liara and Shepard both chuckled, and Liara sat watching Garrus and Shepard gaze at each other blissfully for a moment. “I knew that you wanted to get back to him, Shepard, but you didn’t tell me you two were bonded. When did it happen?”

            “Before I turned myself in,” the Commander informed her, turning back to face her and giving an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Liara, I wasn’t telling anyone. Joker acted as our go-between with some messages, but even he didn’t know the full extent.”

            The Asari reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’m happy for both of you. Although I think we should celebrate. It’s out in the open now, and everyone could use a little bit of good news…”

            “Maybe later,” Garrus suggested. “Right now, with Palaven burning, with Earth under siege…it doesn’t quite feel right.”

            “I disagree. It’s a reminder to everyone how much we have to fight for,” Liara pointed out. “Perhaps after the summit, after we get the Krogan to help Palaven. Have you started telling people? I don’t want to accidentally blab it if you don’t want anyone to know.”

            Shepard looked to Garrus and they shared a shrug. “We’ve already filed the official paperwork on both worlds; I don’t see any reason to keep it secret…”

            “Alliance media may hold it against you, it could be seen as me swaying you to help Palaven while Earth is being attacked,” Garrus suggested. “Just a forewarning; especially since we probably are a ground-breaking union, and you’re already pretty famous, _Commander Shepard_ …”

            “That’s true, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of a human-turian bonding. Dating, yes, but never seriously,” Liara said thoughtfully. “But you make a fair point, Garrus. Maybe it’s best if no one beyond the Normandy knows right now.”

            “Think you can keep this secret from the world for the moment, Shadow Broker?” Garrus teased.

 

* * *

 

            The rest of the journey to the summit was spent socializing with Liara, sleeping, and trying to catch up on the last six months without each other. Shepard marveled at how much she cared about the little day-to-day things, curious about every detail she had missed in their time apart. But soon Joker was interrupting them to announce that they had reached the summit coordinates, and Shepard removed herself from where she had remained curled at Garrus’ side. She took a quick shower, realizing she hadn’t since she had been injured in battle, and after she dried off she put on her formal Alliance uniform. When Garrus saw her his eyes widened and he gave a small hum of sub harmonics.

            “I forget sometimes how important you are in the Alliance and in the war, because I just know how important you are to me,” he mused as he finally stood and stretched his long legs. “I’ll go with you; Victus may want to see me before the summit.”

            He gave her a dual kiss before they left her cabin, his hand resting nonchalantly on her lower back as they stepped into the elevator. When the doors to the CIC opened, they saw James standing waiting for the doors to open. He sprang into a salute, but then looked at the informal way Garrus was holding on to Shepard’s waist and he gave a frown. Garrus raised an eyebrow at him as Shepard gave a nod and a small salute, and then the pair exited the elevator. James watched as Garrus gave the Commander’s waist one last squeeze before he finally removed his hand. “Good luck, Fiona,” Garrus whispered, and then he split off from her to find Victus in the War Room.

            Shepard ignored James’ curious stare and walked to the cockpit, where she saw Joker in his usual spot in the pilot’s seat. She was surprised to see EDI’s new body in the co-pilot seat. Joker kept glancing over at the AI as Shepard approached, and when he saw the Commander he gave a huge grin. “Commander, can you believe it?” he asked, unable to contain his excitement as he glanced at EDI again.

            “Did you know about this?” Shepard asked, pointing toward the co-pilot seat, her eyebrow cocked in amusement.

            “Are you kidding? Even if I’d known I wouldn’t have told you,” he laughed. “I would have baked a cake!”

            “I am sitting right here, Jeff,” EDI said, and Shepard almost thought the AI sounded embarrassed – if that was possible.

            “Yes…yes you are, EDI,” Joker agreed breathlessly, staring wistfully at his new co-pilot. Shepard rolled her eyes.

            “The other delegates are here already, correct?” Shepard pointedly changed the subject.

            “Yeah, but they’re keeping their distance, trying not to get into firing range of each other,” Joker told her.

            “That’s not a good sign…” Shepard heaved a sigh and rubbed absently at the miniscule ache that remained in her ribs. “Tell them we’re ready for them to come aboard; the Normandy will be neutral negotiating ground. No weapons allowed.”

            Joker gave her a sideways glance. “Do you really think Wrex will go along with that?”

            “Tell him I’m enforcing it personally,” she commanded.

            “All right, Commander,” Joker said, and EDI opened a comms channel to reach both of the delegations’ ships. Shepard waited for EDI to pass along her message, and then watched through the cockpit’s large window as shuttles depart from the delegations’ ships. She straightened her formal blouse and walked to the airlock to greet the delegates.

            Urdnot Wrex came pushing into the airlock first, and as soon as he saw her he gave an exaggerated scowl. “What’s this about no weapons, Shepard? You think you could take me, even unarmed?”

            Shepard raised her eyebrow in mock challenge, trying not to smile. “Oh please, Wrex, you’re probably going soft, sitting around all day on Tuchanka. When was the last time you were even in battle, old man?”

            The Krogan stared hard at her for a moment, and then his face cracked into a huge smile and he threw his head back as he gave his characteristic deep chortle. “Well played, Shepard. I just wanted to see you sweat; I’m grateful for the lack of weapons,” he turned to stare at the Salarian Dalatrass as she entered the airlock behind him. “I don’t want her to get any ideas,” he confided in a stage whisper.

            Shepard shot him a glare before turning to the Salarian Dalatrass. “Dalatrass, I’m Commander Shepard. It’s an honor to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to attend this summit.”

            The Dalatrass looked Shepard up and down and then gave Wrex a scathing look. “I know who you are, Commander. And we’ll see if anything can actually come of this summit; I’m not so sure about the company you keep.”

            Shepard plastered a bland smile on her face and internally counted to five. She took a deep breath and was happy to feel remarkably less pain in her chest when she did so. After a moment she felt her burgeoning anger dissipate and she gestured with her arm for Wrex and the Dalatrass to follow her through the CIC to the Briefing Room. “Primarch Victus will be waiting for us,” Shepard told them as she led the way.

 

 

            Overall, it wasn’t a complete disaster, Shepard thought as she marched out of the Briefing Room in frustration, Primarch Victus and Wrex trying to keep pace with her as she quickly made her way to the War Room. The Salarian Dalatrass had refused to help anyone at all if they helped the Krogans, who had of course requested that the genophage be cured. But the most interesting part was…

            Shepard spun on the spot once she was in the War Room and faced Wrex, her face serious. “Tell me more about this cure, Wrex. Where are you getting your information?”

            “Shepard, I’d rather not say -” he gave a pointed glance at Victus standing beside him.

            “Enough, Wrex!” Shepard snapped. “Palaven and Earth are already burning; it won’t be long before every other world is as well, including Tuchanka. I’m not just worried about Council space or humans or Turians or Krogans or Salarians – Wrex, _everyone_ , the entire _galaxy_ is depending on us. Now tell me everything you know.”

            The Krogan shifted where he stood, taken aback by the aggravation and determination in Shepard’s voice. “I don’t know who’s been passing me information, but the Salarians seem to have picked up where Maelon left off last year,” Wrex opened his omni-tool to some of his information. “They were successful. That’s all I know, Shepard.”

            She glared at him a moment longer before she finally took a deep breath, her hands on her hips as she stood, thinking. Maelon’s methods had been unethical and horrifying, but his research had been solid. She frowned; hadn’t she given that to Mordin? She shook her head and looked back up at the two who stood before her. Garrus was hanging back behind Victus, waiting to hear how the war summit had gone, and he watched these interactions with rapt attention.

            “Victus, you’ll have your Krogan support for Palaven as soon as we get the genophage cured,” Shepard looked at the primarch and gave a curt nod. “Joker?” she called out on the comms.

            “Yes, Commander?” came the pilot’s prompt reply.

            “Set course for the Special Tasks Group base on Sur’Kesh, and radio ahead and tell them a Council Spectre is coming for the fertile female Krogan,” Shepard commanded. She hoped there wasn’t enough time to give the Salarian Dalatrass a chance to ruin her plans.

            “Roger that, Commander. ETA fifteen minutes.”


	6. Old Times

            Shepard had changed quickly into her armor, checking her guns and wiping the grime off her helmet in the shuttle bay’s armory. The elevator doors opened and Garrus and James exited, followed closely by Wrex and Dr. Chakwas. Garrus gave Shepard a reassuring smile before he took his place beside her and began checking his rifle. James finished putting his armor on, and Wrex went to stand right next to the shuttle, eager to get down to the surface. He’d grabbed his weapons from his own shuttle, and seemed like he expected heavy resistance to acquire the female. It was making Shepard nervous.

            Dr. Chakwas approached the Commander, a wry smile on her face. “I suppose I should have realized you couldn’t go a full 24 hours without overexerting yourself, Shepard.” Shepard gave her a smile and held her hands out in mock resignation.

            “I’m just fetching Krogan females who have been cured of the genophage from the Salarian home world, what could possibly go wrong, Doctor?” she chuckled. “I’m sure it’ll be quick; the armor is just a precaution, and so that I look intimidating in my capacity as Spectre.”

            Behind her Garrus laughed. “You’re a horrible liar, Shepard,” he teased, then looked at Dr. Chakwas. “I promise, I’ll make sure she doesn’t overdo it, Doctor.”

            Chakwas raised her eyebrows as high as they would go to evidence her skepticism, and declared, “I thought you would be the last person I’d need to rely on to keep her from overexerting herself, Garrus, but thank you.” Shepard scoffed in playful offense, but submitted to a scan from the doctor to see how far along her healing was. “Well, Commander, you are actually further along in your healing than I expected. However, I must ask you to please not put yourself in too much danger. No more taking on behemoths by yourself.”

            Shepard gave a playful scowl. “You take all the fun out of things, Doctor.”

            “Hmm,” the Doctor replied suspiciously, and then she turned to head back to the elevator.

            Shepard turned to look at Garrus and James. “Hear that, boys? Looks like you’re doing all of the heavy lifting.”

            “Like we don’t already, eh Scars?” James elbowed Garrus, laughing.

            Garrus’ eye plates raised. “Scars?”

            “Yeah, it’s your nickname,” James answered, almost looking a little worried at the look Garrus was giving him. But Garrus gave a bark of laughter and then glanced at Shepard.

            “I think I like it,” he drawled in amusement, “but what’s our dear Commander’s nickname?”

            “Oh, she’s Lola,” James supplied. Shepard frowned.

            “Lola?” she asked indignantly.

            “Yeah, you look like a Lola. My best friend growing up had an older sister named Lola, you remind me of her; strong, confident, sexy -” he stopped dead at the look on Garrus’ face. Shepard could see the tension in his mandibles, and she placed a calming hand on his arm. She gave a small laugh so that he knew it was all just a joke.

            “Yeah, I think I like that. All right, though, let’s get a move on before Wrex goes without us.” Shepard waited for Garrus to look down at her before she released his arm; he no longer looked ready to murder her lieutenant. James quickly made his way to the shuttle, trying to get away from Garrus, and entered with Wrex. Garrus gave a small growl of sub harmonics and leaned down to press his mouth against Shepard’s possessively. She briefly returned the pressure of his lip plates, and then pulled away. “Come on,” she encouraged him, and grabbed her guns and helmet and headed to the shuttle, Garrus following her closely.

            “So, Shepard,” Wrex said as the shuttle door closed and Cortez maneuvered it out of the shuttle bay, beginning the descent to the base on Sur’Kesh. “You’re finally ready to help the Krogan cure the genophage? Quite a change from Virmire.”

            “You know that was different, Wrex,” Shepard pointed out. “Saren wasn’t really curing the genophage, he just wanted to manipulate and use the Krogan for Sovereign’s war.”

            Wrex grunted. “Huh, I suppose. Still, we could have used his research.”

            Shepard sighed. “Wrex, I’m doing what I can now.”

            “Yes, don’t worry Wrex,” Garrus chimed in, humor evident in his sub harmonics, “soon you can cover the galaxy in little Wrex’s, who will all be extremely crotchety and violent, like their sire.”

            Wrex glared at the Turian, then chortled. “I have to make friends with the one Turian in the galaxy who thinks he’s funny…”

            “Imagine how I feel. I’m supposed to hate Krogan, but you came along and warmed my heart with your winning personality…”

            Shepard laughed along with the other two, fondly remembering traveling on the Normandy-1 with the Turian and Krogan as they hunted Saren together. The elevator rides had been especially hilarious, she mused reminiscently. James was staring at the three of them, thoroughly confused. He noticed Garrus reach up and rub Shepard’s back a little as they all laughed together.

            “Okay, Lola, I’m sorry, I have to ask,” Vega interjected. “What’s the deal with you and Scars?”

            Shepard stopped mid-laugh and raised her eyebrows. Garrus gave his classic lazy grin. “Oh, has no one told you, Lieutenant?” the Turian asked, his hand still on Shepard’s back.

            “James,” Shepard said, trying not to laugh, “Garrus and I are married.”

            Vega’s mouth was hanging open, looking at the pair, completely bewildered. “What?! Since yesterday? Or -”

            “No, since before I was tried on Earth,” Shepard answered.

            James shook his head, trying to comprehend this new information. Finally he muttered, “Sheesh, Lola. You never acted like you were married, I didn’t know.” He looked at Garrus, frowning. “Sorry Scars, I didn’t mean anything by callin’ her sexy -”

            “Yes, well,” Garrus stared at him for a moment, his face blank. “It’s all right, you didn’t know.”

            Shepard was pressing her lips together, trying not to burst out laughing at the disgruntled tension between her mate and her lieutenant. Wrex sat silently for a moment, arms folded, before he burst out laughing. Shepard quickly joined him, followed by Garrus, and finally James. Wrex reached a hand out to Garrus, and the Turian clasped his forearm tightly. “Congratulations, Vakarian! Nice to know you won’t go up against the Reapers without having finally bedded someone,” he taunted.

            “Yes, well, let’s hope we can get that female Krogan out of here safely so that you don’t have to die a thousand year-old virgin,” Garrus replied easily.

            “Commander,” Lieutenant Cortez called from the cockpit. “They’re not letting us land - they said over the comms they haven’t gotten authorization yet.”

            Shepard sighed and walked into the cockpit to use the comms to reach the base, but behind her she heard Wrex grunt and say, “Let’s see how these pyjaks handle a Krogan airdrop!”

            She spun around just in time to see Wrex wrench open the shuttle door and jump out of the shuttle, shotgun drawn. “Shit,” she muttered. “Land, Cortez, I’ll handle the authorization.”

            Shepard raced over to the open shuttle door and saw several STG Salarians taking aim at Wrex. She tried calling out to him, but he couldn’t hear her over the roar of the shuttle. She saw him aim his biotics at the Salarians before him and he easily flung several of them back. Shepard swore, and as soon as the shuttle was closer to the ground she jumped out and ran in between Wrex and the STG agents.

            “Stop!” she yelled, throwing her hands up at the opposing groups.

            “Commander Shepard, please - get him under control!” one of the nearby Salarians cried out to her.

            “Wrex, stand down!” She shouted, turning to face the Krogan. “Let me handle this!”

            Wrex glared at the Salarians for a moment before he finally lowered his shotgun. “Fine, Shepard, but if they try and get in my way -”

            “But until that _if_ , let me take care of this,” Shepard commanded, and the Krogan finally acquiesced and put his shotgun back in its holster.

            “Thank you, Commander,” the Salarian thanked her, and Shepard turned to face him once more. “We’re sorry, we only just received word that you were coming.”

            “It’s fine,” Shepard replied, finally assured that Wrex was under control. “But I hope we don’t have any more issues.”

            The Salarian agent looked behind her at Wrex. “That depends on him…”

            “Well then, let’s get this over with as soon as we can,” Shepard agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have Sur'Kesh written but...nothing off canon.  
> Reunited with Mordin, and Garrus pulls her to safety to cover her from the Cerberus bomb in the elevator. Krogan female saved and taken back to the Normandy. Hooray.  
> So let's move on.
> 
> xx,  
> L


	7. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reunion sex? Reunion sex.

            Once the shuttle had pulled back into the Normandy’s shuttle bay, Shepard instructed Mordin to accompany the female Krogan to the med bay to help get her back to full strength. James left the shuttle and went to the small corner of the shuttle bay he had claimed for himself, stripping out of his armor as he went. Wrex sulkily made his way to the elevator to get back up to the War Room; the female Krogan had rebuffed his attempts at chivalry in the shuttle and his mood had soured. Shepard checked on Lt. Cortez, making sure Wrex commandeering the shuttle hadn’t affected him at all. Besides seeming upset at the change in some of the settings of the cockpit, he was unfazed by the Krogan’s temporary coup.

            Garrus waited for Shepard to check on her shuttle pilot before he placed his hand on her lower back and steered her toward the elevator. She looked up at him, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth as he deftly directed her up to her cabin, a determined look on his face. Once they had reached the captain’s quarters, he hastily escorted her in, his hand still resolutely gripping her waist. The doors closed behind them and he spun her to face him, an intense look in his eyes.

            “It’s been a day, Fiona,” he told her, his voice emphasized by the lower vibrations his sub harmonics took on whenever he wanted her. “How are you feeling?”

            She gave a quirk of a smile as she tested her ribs and back, stretching to see if they still ached; she felt no lingering pain. He was watching her avidly as she tested herself, waiting to see if she winced at all. After a long moment, she looked up at him and gave an affirmative nod.

            He let out a small growl and pulled her hard against him, his mouth crushing hers as he roughly pressed a kiss on her lips. She returned his pressure and responded with her tongue as he sought hers out for a taste. They stood clinging to one another for a long moment; they could finally kiss without restraint, no longer trying to keep from arousing one another. This time, they could follow through.

            Garrus broke away from the kiss and reached up to unlatch his armor. She did the same, her fingers clumsy in their haste as she stripped out of the many pieces of her body armor. He stripped naked at the same time she got down to her under armor garments, and he reached over impatiently to pull her out of them. As soon as she was naked, he lifted her in his arms and she wrapped her legs around his narrow waist, pressing her mouth back to his for a greedy kiss as he carried her down the few steps to the bed.

            The sheets felt cool on her skin as he laid her gently on the bed. He was insistent in his need of her, but still showed tender restraint so that he didn’t reinjure her. She bit her lip to stifle a moan as he sat back into a kneeling position so that he could take in the sight of her naked body. His mandibles were flexing in excitement as he placed his hands on her knees, spreading her legs further apart so that he could enjoy the sight between them. As he had the first night they were together, he reached a finger out and stroked in between her lips; only this time, he knew exactly what to look for. He ran his knuckle against her opening, testing her wetness, which he then slid up to the small bundle of nerves at the top that he knew would drive her wild. Her breath caught in her throat as he teased it with his knuckle before using the tip of his finger to stroke it, his rhythm steady and persistent, and she felt pleasure course through her.

            Small gasps escaped her as her nerves crackled with electricity, his rhythm pushing her to the edge already. It had been half a year since he had been able to touch her, and she felt an ache growing in the pit of her stomach as he stoked her desires with his finger. She felt his erection brush against her, eager to reach her opening as he played with her. A deep moan escaped her throat, and she whispered his name, her voice hoarse. He stopped his caresses and reached behind her head for a few pillows, which he tenderly placed under her hips to easily raise her up to meet him more easily. A small smile came upon her face; even now, he was so considerate of her.

            Once he was certain that the pillows were in the right place, he positioned himself so that his tip was pressing to her opening, but then he stopped before entering her. She gave a tiny groan and looked up at him, confused. “Tell me how much you missed me, Fiona,” he purred, and she moaned. Reallizing he was going to make her beg for him again made her even wetter than she already was.

            “You were all I could think about,” she confessed breathlessly, and he pushed his tip into her slowly. “Every night before bed, I -” she broke off in a sob as he pushed a little further inside.

            “Describe it,” he commanded, and she sobbed again as he gave a tiny thrust of his tip, just enough to tease her.

            “I remembered the days we spent together,” she continued as she panted, her hands gripping her breasts in her desperation for him to continue. “I thought about that first night, when you took me and made me come twice, when you made me scream,” she moaned as he slid an inch further into her. “I thought about when you held me against the fish tank, unable to do anything but take it as you fucked me, and the feeling when you marked me…”

            He gave a small hum as he pushed himself a bit further into her. She could tell he was struggling to keep up this teasing pace and she grinned. The smile provoked him into giving a few strong, shallow thrusts, and she gasped at the sensation. Eager for more of him, with a familiar ache beginning in her lower stomach, she rushed to continue, “Every night, I’d reach down to my clit. I’d imagine you bending me over the bed, directing my hips with your strong hands, controlling my every movement until I couldn’t take it anymore.” He rewarded her with more of himself until she moaned, momentarily unable to continue.

            “Keep going,” he ordered her, but she could tell from the rasp of his sub harmonics that he was enjoying this as much as she was. His talons were biting into where he held her legs spread wide for him, and he occasionally gave shallow thrusts to encourage her.

            “I would touch myself, every night,” she confessed breathlessly. “I’d remember the feeling of you deep inside of me, possessing me, making me beg, and I’d play with myself until I came, so hard I’d – oh, Garrus!” she broke off as she cried out. He had pushed himself into her as far as he could, and she moaned as the ache in her stomach finally ceased, content that she was finally filled by him.

            Garrus held himself inside of her for a moment, taking a deep breath as he enjoyed the feeling of her around him once more. Fiona reached out to his narrow waist and brushed her fingers along the leathery skin he had where he wasn’t covered by hard plates. He moaned and jerked himself against her roughly in response before he finally began thrusting into her in earnest. He pulled out of her until he almost fell out, and then pushed himself back in forcefully. She cried out each time he thrust inside her, feeling her nerves set on fire with each powerful movement. His talons were biting into her thighs where he held her, keeping her legs spread and preventing her from being able to fully respond to his thrusts. The feeling of being powerless against him as he plunged into her set her at the edge of her release. She reached a hand down to touch herself, but he removed it and gripped both of her wrists tightly in one of his large hands. His other he used to position her legs as wide as they would go before he placed one finger on her clit, his light as a feather pressure making her gasp.

            “Garrus!” she cried as she felt herself getting close. He noticed the telltale change in her moans and slowed his pace and lifted his finger. She looked at him desperately, and saw a devilish grin on his face. She knew what was coming, but she longed to hear him demand it of her as he had so many times before.

            “Beg me for it, Fiona,” he hummed, and her skin tightened as goose bumps spread across it and she began to tremble.

            “Garrus -” she began and he gave a sharp thrust to interrupt her.

            “Beg,” he commanded, and her face broke into a grin; he responded with another forceful thrust which made her gasp in surprise.

            “Please, Garrus – you feel amazing, I missed this so much – I want you, I want you to – make me come, please,” she cried breathlessly, and he gave a rough growl and resumed his insistent pace, placing his finger back on her clit. She felt as though she was about to lose control, the feeling so intense after all of this time apart that she could hardly catch her breath. Her wrists were still gripped in his large hand, and her legs were pushed back on either side of her torso to accommodate him. The position of the pillows beneath her robbed her of the leverage she needed to answer his lustful thrusts. All she could do was take him into her, her gasping cries growing louder and louder as she fell apart. She gave a loud wail as she felt herself begin to tighten around him, and as she did he leaned over her so his teeth could find their mark. Encouragingly she lifted her neck to him and moaned deeply as he bit into the faded scars he had left on her all those months ago. Her orgasm was just subsiding when he found his own release. Garrus pounded himself into her as his teeth clamped a little tighter on her neck, releasing his seed as he did so. His wild, uneven rhythm slowed and he finally let go of her wrists as he pulled his teeth away from her neck.

            He propped himself on the mattress above her, one of his hands on either of her shoulders as he stared down at her. Fiona returned his gaze, her eyelashes fluttering as she tried to catch her breath. She noticed that Garrus was staring at the renewed mark on her neck, his eyes gleaming with the knowledge of his conquest. For a long moment they laid still, Garrus reveling in his claim upon her, and Shepard still enjoying the fulfilling presence of him inside of her. Finally he removed himself from her and rolled to his side. He pulled her hips off the pillows and nestled her against him, his hand cupping a buttock intimately. She rested her head against his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He covered it with his free hand and entwined his fingers with hers. She smiled to herself, remembering the first time they had lain together like this in their afterglow.

            “Welcome home,” he whispered, and she smiled against his chest.

            “You too,” she replied, her voice still breathless.


	8. Clearing the Air

            Shepard felt almost guilty for how content she felt as they laid facing each other in bed, limbs tangled and fingers interlaced with each other. Her brows furrowed as she was momentarily reminded of the Reaper threat, her mind conjuring up the image of the young boy who had been haunting her dreams.

            “Fiona, what’s wrong?” Garrus asked, placing a hand beneath her chin and raising her gaze until it met his. His eye plates were lowered in a concerned frown, and he softly stroked her jaw where he held it.

            She pressed her lips together and gave a small shake of her head. It had become a sacred, unspoken rule that their shared bed was the one place they didn’t discuss the problems of the galaxy. She blinked back tears as she looked up at him. “I’m fine, Garrus. I’m just happy to be back with you.”

            “Hmm,” he sounded like he didn’t believe her answer. He slid his fingers from her jaw to her hair and began combing it, softly fanning the auburn strands out on the pillow behind her. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation and letting it relax her again. He pressed his forehead to hers and gently rubbed it back and forth; the pressure was soothing, and she felt it dispelling her worries. “Better?” he asked her quietly.

            “Much,” she murmured. Garrus leaned down to press his mouth to hers, and she gave a soft moan as he pushed her shoulder back on the bed and rolled above her. His tongue coaxed her to open her mouth to answer his kiss, his rhythm taking on a familiar insistence. He ran his hands over her body, caressing her breasts and reaching down lower to part her legs so that he could lie between them. She gave a moan as he began tracing down her neck with his tongue, stopping his progress for a moment when he reached her nipples. He teased them until she was gasping before he continued his progress lower, reaching a finger to her opening as he slid his tongue as lightly as he could over her clitoris. Shepard gave a startled cry at the feeling of his hot breath on her, and whispered his name with a moan –

            “Commander Shepard,” EDI’s voice interrupted. “Dr. Solus had requested that we make our way to the Citadel to get him some supplies to attend to the female Krogan. We have arrived.”

            “Damn it,” Shepard groaned in irritation. “Thank you for letting me know, EDI…tell the crew they have a day of shore leave while we restock.”

            Garrus raised his head and looked at her, but he kept moving his finger inside of her, his mandibles fluttering and tickling her thighs. The sight of him between her legs set her heart racing, her skin covered in goose bumps, and her legs began to tremble. “A day of shore leave? That gives us a little time before we have to take care of our own business on the Citadel,” he purred. He returned his tongue to her but kept his eyes fixed on her face, watching her eyelashes flutter as she moaned deeply and arched her back. His mandibles flared and his sub harmonics hummed soft vibrations against her in evidence of his growing excitement as he watched her take her pleasure.

            They had plenty of time…

 

* * *

 

 

            Garrus playfully tugged at her casual uniform and tried to slip his hand under it to run across her tight belly, but she twirled away from him to the other side of the elevator with a giggle. He was the only one she had ever let see this side of her, and she could tell he delighted in provoking these reactions out of her. With a playful growl he took one long stride to her and pushed her against the wall, his forehead pressed against hers as he ran his hands down her sides.

            The elevator slowed and they gave a sigh as they pulled apart, unsure if there were still crew members aboard the Normandy. When the doors opened they were relieved they had stopped groping each other, since there were still several crew members wrapping things up in the CIC before they departed. Shepard cleared her throat as she readjusted her uniform, making certain it was still tucked into place as they exited the lift and made their way to the airlock.

            “Oh – Commander Shepard,” Specialist Traynor called out to her. “You received a message from Major Alenko, it seems he’s awake and would like for you to visit him at Huerta Memorial Hospital.”

            Shepard nodded acknowledgment of the message. “Something else, Specialist?” she queried when she saw the indecision on the other woman’s face.

            “I picked up a distress signal from Grissom Academy,” the Specialist informed her. “But it was odd, it looked like it got answered by a Turian signal…”

            Shepard took a step toward her frowning. Behind her Garrus folded his arms. “Why do you make it sound like that’s not a good thing?” he questioned Traynor.

            “Well, the responding signal seemed…odd, and so I looked into it,” the Specialist was talking quickly in her nervousness. “It matched the fake Turian signal Cerberus used to lure you to the Collector ship last year.”

            Shepard’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Good catch, Specialist,” she commended, and the other woman smiled. “We’ll head there after we’ve finished replenishing our supplies.”

            “Thank you, Commander,” Traynor said, and then returned to her station.

            Garrus and Shepard turned to proceed through the airlock. “You think it’s Cerberus?” he asked her as they made their way through the docking bay of the Citadel.

            “It must be,” she mused. “A school of highly gifted biotic and tech students? Seems right up their alley.”

            “True,” he agreed. They pushed through the crowds of the docking bay; some people in the crowd acted like they recognized Shepard and pointed her out to their companions. Garrus put a hand on her lower back to keep them from being separated. “Are you going to go see Kaidan?”

            “Yes, I want to check how he’s doing,” she answered. “Where are you going to go?”

            “I need to check the refugee camps, see how the conditions are, what supplies I can get for my people,” Garrus responded as they reached the elevator, and he pressed the button to call it.

            “I’ll come by after the hospital, see what I can do to help,” she looked up and gave him a reassuring smile as they walked onto the lift and pressed buttons for their separate destinations.

            “Thank you,” he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. The doors of the elevator opened again and he heaved a sigh as he got off; the refugee camps were in one of the other docking bays. Shepard watched him go, her heart aching as she thought about the pain he must be feeling; Palaven was burning, his people under siege by the Reapers. Her own people were in a similar situation, but unlike him she had no family save Anderson on Earth to worry about. She realized he was probably going to check for word on his father and sister as well; she wondered if she should have gone with him before the hospital, in case he received bad news.

            The elevator slowed as it reached her destination, but it took her a moment to realize it. She was chewing a finger absently, preoccupied with her concern for her mate and their respective worlds. She noticed suddenly that the elevator doors were open and she exited, walking briskly through the lobby of the hospital.

            “Shepard!” a deep voice called out to her, and she turned to see who it was. Thane was standing beside the windows in the lobby, and he gave her a small wave as a greeting.

            “Thane,” she replied, and walked over to where he stood. “What are you doing here?”

            “My condition has gotten worse,” he informed her as they shook hands. “I require daily medical care now.”

            “I’m so sorry,” she folded her arms, her brows furrowed. “Is there anything I can do?”

            “No, but thank you for your concern, siha,” he shook his head regretfully. “The care I receive here is more than adequate, and I am at peace. Kolyat comes to visit me often; he has an apartment here and has been working; so far he has stayed away from trouble.”

            “Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

            “But why are you here, siha?”

            “A friend was injured during a mission on Mars, but he’s awake and recovering. I was going to visit him.”

            Thane furrowed his brow, thinking. “The L2 biotic, human male? I saw his implant when they brought him in,” Shepard nodded in response to his question. “He is in a room near mine, I’ve seen him when I walk down the hallways. Now that I know he is an associate of yours, I’ll keep an eye out for him. Your enemies may want to finish the job.”

            “Thank you, Thane,” she reached over and gripped his shoulder as she said it. He smiled at her, his eyes taking on the familiar look he always had aboard the Normandy, the look that made her think he had feelings for her. But his eyes glanced down to her neck and he frowned once more before looking away. Shepard reached up self-consciously and tried to adjust the short collar of her top; her casual uniform didn’t completely cover Garrus’ mark, and she knew it had to look more prominent now that it had been freshly renewed the last few hours. They stood in awkward silence for a moment before she finally gave a small sigh.

            “I should get to Kaidan’s room, I need to visit the refugee camps as well. It was nice to see you, again, Thane,” she held her hand out to him, and he took it in both of his with a gentle squeeze. “Take care of yourself.”

            “Be safe out there, siha,” he looked intently into her eyes. She nodded briefly to him and he released her hands.

            Shepard turned and made her way through the lobby and down a hallway until she reached the patient rooms. She stopped an Asari medic for Kaidan’s room number, and when she found it she knocked softly.

            “Come in,” Kaidan answered, and she opened the door to let herself in. “Shepard! It’s good to see you,” he called when he saw it was her.

            Shepard smiled and took her seat in the chair beside his bed. She noticed that he still bore bruises on his face and neck, and his shoulder and chest were wrapped in clean white bandages. “How are you, Kaidan?”

            “Better,” he replied. “Still have a ways to go, but the doctors say I’m healing well - should be up and about soon.”

            “Good,” Shepard commented, nodding absently. “We got the blueprints for the Prothean device, and construction has already begun. Thought you should know you didn’t take a hit for nothing.”

            He chuckled a little and then winced. “Nice to know it wasn’t a waste, yeah,” he agreed. He sat looking at his hands for a moment before he began, “Shepard, listen, about everything I said on Mars -”

            “Don’t worry about it, Kaidan,” she interrupted. “It’s fine.”

            “No, it’s not,” he heaved a sigh. “I should have trusted you. And I just…I want to make sure that we’re all right.”

            Shepard sat looking at him for a moment, contemplating. “Yeah, I think we are. I mean, it would be nice to know if you have my back, still.”

            He gave an affirmative nod, but his brows were still furrowed.

            “Is there something else, Kaidan?”

            “Well…” he hadn’t raised his gaze from his hands, trying to find the words. “Was there – was there something between you and Garrus?” He finally looked up at her, and she tried to keep her face neutral. She wanted to kick herself for not seeing this coming; it felt like Horizon all over again.

            “Kaidan,” she paused, trying to find the nicest way possible to break this news to him. “Kaidan, what you and I had – it was one night. And maybe I should have been better about making that clear at the time. It certainly wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”

            He was still staring at her with those puppy dog eyes, and she fought the urge to flee the room. “Well?” he asked, trying to get an answer out of her.

            “Kaidan, Garrus and I are – well, we’re married,” she said it softly, trying not to sound apologetic. She had never meant to hurt Kaidan, but she definitely wasn’t sorry that she was bonded to Garrus. She tugged at the collar of her top again, feeling slightly exposed. Why couldn’t Turians just wear rings like humans did instead of biting one another during their most intimate act? Kaidan caught the action though, his eyes wide in his surprise; she felt fairly certain she saw him notice the irritated mark.

            “I…wow, Shepard. I didn’t realize,” he paused and looked back down at his hands. He was momentarily at a loss for words. “I guess I didn’t realize it could ever be that serious between you two. I thought maybe you just…”

            He trailed off and seemed lost in thought, and she watched him silently. She wasn’t going to fill in the gaps for him, she needed for him to come to terms with it on his own.

            “How long?” he asked after a moment.

            “Since before I returned to Earth,” she responded, still trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

            “Wow,” he muttered again. He finally raised his head and looked at her, and he gave a small nod. “I guess - congratulations, Shepard.” But his voice sounded flat, like he didn’t mean it at all.

            She gave a cynical smile and couldn’t help herself from saying, “Gee, don’t sound too happy, now.”

            “I’m sorry, Shepard, I just,” he thought for a moment. “I just thought maybe we had something special. I really cared for you. I didn’t expect to be thrown aside so easily.”

            “Kaidan, I’m sorry if I led you on, or gave you the wrong impression about us,” she said, measuring her words carefully. She resigned herself to having to explain, but she wished he’d stop staring at her with that sad, lost look in his eyes. “I made a mistake with you, letting you think there might be a chance at more. I was a coward - I didn’t know how to deal with emotions and relationships. But the truth is, it’s _always_ been Garrus. It just took me a long time to realize it, and it took me dying to realize how short life is and what I really want out of it.”

            “And that’s Garrus?” he asked. She noticed his tone had changed; he no longer sounded hurt. Instead he sounded resigned, like he was finally accepting what she was saying.

            “Yes,” she replied, and she steadily held his gaze, trying to impart the seriousness of her answer to him.

            He gave a small, jerky nod and looked away. “Well, then, I wish you the best, Shepard.”

            “Thank you,” she reached over and gave his arm a small squeeze of gratitude and understanding. “Are we going to be okay still?”

            He continued nodding his head, mulling it over. “Yeah, yeah I think we will be.”


	9. The Perfect Fit

            Shepard tore through the lobby and pounded the elevator button several times, impatient to get out of the hospital. The melodrama of seeing two former colleagues, both of whom had stared at her longingly and acted like jilted lovers when she didn’t immediately fall into their arms, had been too much for her. The elevator finally pulled to a stop in front of her and she hurried past the people exiting as she got on, jamming her finger on the button to the docking bay she needed. She folded her arms and tapped her foot as the elevator crawled its way to her destination.

            As soon as the doors began to open she briskly walked through them and maneuvered her way through the crowded docking bay. She felt frustrated that she hadn’t immediately gone to the camps with her mate as he looked for word of his family. She was mentally kicking herself for choosing to visit the hospital instead, and she found herself hoping she hadn’t been absent in case Garrus had received bad news. Just let them be here, safe and sound, or let there have been no word on them yet, she thought desperately as she gently pushed her way past a Batarian refugee.

            Normally picking Garrus out of a crowd was effortless, since he was usually one of few Turians around and easily towered over the other species. But the docking bay was filled to the brim with Turian refugees, and Shepard found herself straining her neck trying to spot her mate. Finally she found him, speaking to another well-armored Turian soldier and giving commands. She pushed her way over to him and stopped at his side.

            “What did they say about the rations we need?” Garrus was asking the soldier.

            “They said they can’t spare anything, they have to provide for the residents of the Citadel,” the other Turian replied.

            “Contact Commander Bailey at C-Sec, see if he can’t help requisition some rations. Tell him we have refugees here who haven’t eaten in days, and Garrus Vakarian would consider it a personal favor if he helped us out,” Garrus’ voice was firm, and the soldier nodded and rushed off to follow his orders. Garrus looked down to see Shepard standing beside him. He gave a small smile and she reached a hand up to his arm, squeezing it gently. “All these refugees and the diplomats are too busy playing politics to help with the necessities,” he sighed.

            “How’s everything going?” she asked, gazing up at him with concern.

            “Not great,” he admitted. “Supplies and space are already limited, and more refugees are arriving every day.”

            “What can I do to help?”

            “Honestly? Get the genophage cured and bring the Krogans in to the fight on Palaven,” he pointed out, then shrugged. “Maybe a good word to C-Sec, or the Council, from a Spectre…”

            Shepard nodded. “I could use my Spectre authorization to reroute some supplies to the refugees, until we get the Krogans’ help.”

            “Thank you, Shepard,” he reached down and rubbed her back softly before he pulled his hand away.

            “Any word on your family?” she asked hesitantly.

            “No,” he responded, looking down at her somberly. “I checked the refugee register, and I’ve talked to a few people here…still nothing.”

            She gave his hand a squeeze in sympathy. “That means there’s still hope. We can’t give that up.”

             “I suppose you’re right, but it’s becoming harder every day I don’t hear any news,” he confessed quietly. Her heart broke at the tone of his voice. “But tell me, how was your trip to the hospital?”

            Shepard rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. He chuckled as he watched her face contort into a scowl. “It was something,” she grumbled. 

            “Let me guess, Kaidan was hoping you’d rushed to his side to confess how much you missed him?” he laughed when he saw her scowl deepen. “How did he take it?”

            “He was stunned, to say the least,” she mused. “But it wasn’t just him, I ran into Thane as well.”

            Garrus raised his eye plates with another chuckle. “Oh? Was he also hoping for a death bed confessional?”

            Shepard shot him a playful glare and he continued laughing. She could tell he was enjoying teasing her, and she let him. Anything to take his mind off his missing family. “Trust me, I’ve had my fill of puppy dog eyes to last a lifetime,” she told him. “But wait, how did you know Thane had feelings for me?”

            Garrus scoffed. “Oh please, he was obvious. The pet name, seeking you out on the Normandy all the time…Plus he confronted me about our relationship.”

            “Wait, he did? When was this?”

            Garrus thought, tapping his chin with a finger as he did so. “After our talk, when you invited me to spend the night with you. He could smell our pheromones, he noticed a change in how we spoke to each other,” he gave a small shrug. “I think he was trying to determine if it was just a fling, see if he still had a chance. But I’m fairly sure my answer made him back off for good.”

            “What did you tell him?” Shepard raised her eyebrows. She knew Garrus had become bolder in making his claim on her known since they became bonded, but she hadn’t realized he may have been doing it even before that.

            “I told him in no uncertain terms that I didn’t intend to share,” Garrus drawled. Shepard smirked at him and he gave her his usual lazy grin. “And I may have indicated that I knew where he slept if he tried to make me.”

            Shepard’s eyes widened. “You didn’t!”

            “I most certainly did. I may not have meant to claim you as my mate so soon, but I think deep down I knew that was always my real intention, if you’d have me.” He smiled down at her and reached a hand over to squeeze her waist. She returned his smile, her frustration at the day’s events finally gone after hearing that simple confession.

            “You know, it feels a little, uh…personal, having people stare at my neck for confirmation that we’re a couple,” she commented.

            He frowned, contemplating her words. “I suppose it would seem odd to you, humans aren’t as casual about physical intimacy as Turians are.” He looked around for a moment, mulling it over before he said, “Here, come with me.”

            Garrus took her hand in his and led her through the crowd back toward the elevator. They waited patiently for it to arrive, occasionally squeezing each other’s fingers to silently express their contentment. He led her onto the elevator and pressed the button for the Presidium. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t question him. Once they arrived, he stepped off the elevator into the busy crowds of the Presidium shops, leading her through the bustling shoppers as he looked for a particular shop.

            “Ah, here we go,” he told her, and he pulled her out of the crowd and into a jewelry store. Shepard’s eyebrows rose as far as they could on her forehead as she looked at him in confusion.

            “Garrus, what are we doing?” she asked, looking around at the many cases and feeling thoroughly out of place.

            “Well, like I said - I researched human customs and your commitment ceremonies. I think I know the solution to our problem,” he gently pulled her over to the Asari sales associate.

            “Welcome to the Jewel of the Citadel,” the Asari greeted them. “Are you looking for anything in particular today?”

            “Yes,” Garrus replied as he leaned casually on the counter. “My wife is in need of a wedding band.”

            “Oh? That’s unusual, but we do have rings that will fit Turians over here,” the Asari began to gesture, but Garrus interrupted her.

            “No, I’m sorry, I need a ring for a human,” he said, and watched with a lazy grin as the Asari raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Actually, this human,” Garrus turned his smile to Shepard as he gently tugged her closer to the counter. The Asari raised her astonished gaze to Shepard, and took a moment before she regained her professional demeanor and smiled at Shepard.

            “I see! Well, we have a vast selection. Do you have a preference?” she asked Shepard.

            Shepard thought for a moment, looking at the rings in the case before her. The only word she could think of to describe them was _gaudy_. “Nothing too flashy,” she finally said. “I need to be able to wear it comfortably under armor…”

            “Of course,” the Asari moved to a different case and looked through the glass before she pulled out a tray of rings to bring over to the pair. “These bands have elegant gemstones worked into their bands, or held suspended by them, so that they sit flush with the metal and won’t catch or pull on anything.”

            Shepard looked over the rings, but felt nervous to touch any of them. Garrus leaned over to study them as well, and he picked up one or two to inspect. They looked almost comical in his large fingers, and Shepard fought the laughter threatening to distract her from their goal.

            Finally, Shepard saw one that caught her eye and she picked it up gingerly, a small smile tugging at her lips. She wasn’t really one for jewelry; the only thing she ever wore was the dog tags she had on a chain. But this ring was so beautiful she felt her breath catch in her throat. It was made from strong Turian crafted titanium, and in the middle, sitting suspended by only the slim band of metal was a round gem that was icy blue, almost as silver in color as the titanium. It’s the color of his eyes, she thought to herself, and she slid it onto her finger; it fit perfectly.

            She looked up to see Garrus watching her, an eager look in his eyes. She gave him a huge grin, and he gestured at the ring. “That one?” he asked. She nodded enthusiastically.

            “An excellent choice,” the Asari agreed, and she moved the tray so that she could scan Garrus’ credit chit more easily. “Does it feel like it needs to be adjusted?”

            “No, it fits perfectly, actually,” Shepard replied, marveling at the sight of the ring on her finger.

            “Wonderful!” the Asari remarked. “Can I be of any further assistance?”

            “No, I think we’re all set, thanks for your help,” Garrus replied, and he took Shepard’s hand once more as they left the store. He pulled her through the crowd to a viewing point, and stopped to look out over the Citadel with her. It was less crowded here, and he was able to turn to face her. He lifted her hand and took the ring off her finger and held it gingerly between his fingers. He hesitated before he began to kneel in front of her. He looked up at her, his face nervous and slightly awkward; he cleared his throat. “Um, Fiona, I don’t know what someone says in this situation, but I saw that I was supposed to kneel – what?”

            Shepard was laughing, and she reached down to help him back up to his feet. He was still giving her a quizzical frown, his mandibles flexing in his embarrassment. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked her.

            “No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” she assured him. “But the kneeling is for the proposal, when you ask me to marry you. We’re already married.”

            “Oh,” he gave a slight, relieved chuckle. “Do I need to say anything?”

            “Well, we basically already did our wedding vows, after you marked me. I think we were just missing the ring,” she said. She watched as he studied the small ring in his hand, and then he reached out for her hand. She placed her left in his palm, smiling as he slipped the ring back on her finger.

            “Fiona,” he said softly, gazing down at where the ring now rested on her finger, “I belong to you, and you belong to me.”

            She beamed at him, her eyes soft with happiness. “I love you,” she told him, and his mandibles fluttered in response.

            “I love you too,” he squeezed her fingers in his, and then cleared his throat and looked out over the view of the Citadel.

            “What made you think to get me a wedding ring?” she asked, joining him in looking out at the view.

            “I’d seen them when I was researching, but I assumed your mark was enough. When you said you felt like it was too intimate, showing that off - I realized we needed to do something that came from your culture. We need a way to make sure human males understand that you’re married,” he looked over at her and smiled when he saw her inspecting her new ring.

            “I’ve never been a huge jewelry person,” she admitted. “But this definitely feels like me.”

            “Glad to hear it,” he reached over and stroked the cool metal on her finger.

            “So, I’ve now got two ways to show that I’m taken,” she mused, looking up at him with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk. “When are you going to get something that lets people know you’re bonded?”

            “Well, you could always mark me in return, it’s what Turian females do,” he wiggled his eye plates at her suggestively. “But Turians will pick up on the change in my pheromones. Why, Fiona, are you worried someone is going to try to steal me away?”

            She chucked lightly. “Let them try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some mediocre news and some bad news.  
> The mediocre news is I've started a Tumblr, https://laraslandlockedblues.tumblr.com/ and if you're so inclined you can go bug me there and laugh at how terrible I am at it. Seriously, I just started it and I feel like someone's grandma on Facebook. But also you can head over there and ask me stuff or connect with me or whatever. But mostly laugh at me - it's ok, I don't know what I was thinking.  
> The bad news is I'm unfortunately now essentially caught up to where I had written my take on this Shakarian pairing. Which means the updates are going to come less frequently because I need to write them instead of just edit and chop them up to post.  
> However, Fiona and Garrus are on their way to their happy ending after saving the galaxy one last time.  
> I'm happy you guys are enjoying this! Your kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> If you're a Dragon Age fan as well, I have a couple fics posted that you may enjoy if you haven't already until this gets updated next (which will hopefully only be a few days). And if you hadn't checked out Goose Bumps, go give that a read so you can see how we got here.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> xx,  
> L


End file.
